


Ten Years In the Making

by AKnightOfAGoodKing



Series: Ten Years in the Making [3]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drinking, Drunk Sex, Falling In Love, Growing Up (Again), Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Time Skips, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-17
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-07-13 10:18:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16015859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKnightOfAGoodKing/pseuds/AKnightOfAGoodKing
Summary: Excerpt:[Ignoring the soreness of his body, Skull snuck out of Vongola Manor without seeing any of the guests from last night and went to the spacious garage where he last left his bike. He felt a little better when he saw that someone had washed his bike, giving back the original vibrance of its purple colored coat. He had planned to do it himself before this next show.A pain struck him as he sat down on his bike, letting out a yelp in surprised. He felt tired and wanted to get back to his bedroom in the Carcassa Famiglia headquarters and hide away for a month. First breathing in a full breath to settle himself, Skull released it as he stirred the engines to life. Within his next breath, he was riding off, trying not to think about the two men he left behind, but briefly, he heard the sound of his heart shattering against the rocky path.][DO NOT REPOST/REUSE  MY WORK(S) WITHOUT MY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND PERMISSION]





	1. Starting Over Again (But Not Quite)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny enough, this work is actually _not_ apart of this series, even if it does share the same title . . . I didn't know how what to name it and this worked the best. A+ for creativity, yes? It closely related as an alternate universe to this ten year time line progression.
> 
> Anyway, this is based off a short I wrote _so_ long ago, back in to my ff.net days, and since I deleted the whole thing for no reason, I went back to it and expanded it because I can't help but adopt non-specific characters and make super long work(s) with them.

**Skull shivered** , waking up as his body could no longer take the cold air of the earliest of mornings, and his eyes reacted to the pale blue sunlight leaking into the room through the large balcony window. He felt the blanket covering him from his stomach to his feet, but he was exposed to the elements the rest of the way up, though he was warmed by a pair of flesh, one wrapped around his shoulders and one around his torso. The eighteen year old's eyes silently shot up, blinking as he realized there was someone else beside him, two actually with one on each side.

The teen stuntman found himself facing a strikingly similar resemblance of his (not-really-but-still) discipline from over ten years ago, but his heart settled down when he realized that Kyoya had not had that haircut since high school. Skull's heart went into overdrive when he realized that Fon was sleeping right there, his breath gently brushing against Skull's skin. The martial arts was also naked, the large dragon on his chest alive.

 _What happened last night?_ Skull was unable to recall much of last night. A pleasurable shiver ran down his spine as he felt something seep out of him from below, and a scorching blush overtook his face. _Oh, God._

Shifting as slowly and as softly as possible, Skull turned over slightly to see who was behind him, and surprise was an understatement when he saw the head of green spikey hair, the scientist's unexpected broader naked shoulders almost looming over the younger one.

 _What did I do? Argh! I gotta get out of here._ They'll probably not be happy to wake up like this, and he'd rather not be here when they wake up.

An uncomfortable heat built up in Skull's stomach as he slipped out of the two's hold, ignoring the slick sliding down his legs as he picked up much of his clothes as he could find in a short time. He remained blushing as he found the marks, lightly bruised finger impressions around his hips and red marks on his chest, neck and thighs.

Again, a shiver traveled up his spine as a cool breeze came in, running up his back into a small arc and nearly taking his breath. Skull quickly put his clothes on, deciding he'd need a long shower after he left. He was in such a rush to leave, he forgot about the piercings left tentatively on the bedside table, laid out neatly on the wooden surface. It was okay, though, because he had lots of extra piercings and changed them based on his mood, and right now, he wasn't in the mood for anything else but getting out of the mansion.

Ignoring the soreness of his body, Skull snuck out of Vongola Manor without seeing any of the guests from last night and went to the spacious garage where he last left his bike. He felt a little better when he saw that someone had washed his bike, giving back the original vibrance of its purple colored coat. He had planned to do it himself before this next show.

A pain struck him as he sat down on his bike, letting out a yelp in surprised. He felt tired and wanted to get back to his bedroom in the Carcassa Famiglia headquarters and hide away for a month. First breathing in a full breath to settle himself, Skull released it as he stirred the engines to life. Within his next breath, he was riding off, trying not to think about the two men he left behind, but briefly, he heard the sound of his heart shattering against the rocky path.

* * *

_Starting from the beginning, nine years ago . . ._

When the curse was broken, they remained in their cursed form, one year old children all except Yuni who took her grandmother's place and Lal Mirch who was only half cursed, and though no one died, most were disappointed, most of all Colonello because Lal Mirch was the only one to return to her pe-cursed form, though they still married despite their now large age difference.

It was Verde who tried to fix this problem, both out of curiosity and his annoyance with being a child any longer when the curse was broken. Most of them felt the same save for Reborn who was most concerned with training the newly titled Neo Primo Vongola. It took the world's greatest scientist about two years before he came up with a prototype pill that would age their bodies closer to their original age, making use of the ten-year-bazooka technology.

By that time young Tsunayoshi was barely a freshman in high school, and third year Kyoya had all of Namimori's educational board under his thumb. The mafia world had quieted down in term of public destruction since the curse was broken, but many were still waiting in anticipation of Tsunayoshi taking over Vongola.

Reborn agreed to take the prototype with everyone else because he wanted to remain close to his student and his Guardians, the body of a child hindering how serious the mafia world would take Tsunayoshi since the Arcobaleno had lost their statuses as powerful immortal babies. Now, they were like only child prodigies who became more irrelevant as they got older, a younger generation probably already taking their places.

When they reunited, nobody, not even Verde, knew what to expect, though the scientist promised it would be anything but death. Pain, however, remained on the table.

"If I die before Tsuna becomes Don, I'll come back and make sure you die a second time, Verde," Reborn warned, the now three year old child hitman with a tiny pill on the flat of his palm.

Verde scoffed, not a bit threatened. "Like I said, you won't die," he repeated, putting down his tablet. "Or do you plan to follow Muroko into the next life?"

"I die when I want to." Reborn popped the pill in his mouth without looking.

Colonello snickered. "Alright, let's do this, kora," he said, looking Reborn's lack of care. He swallowed the pill too, accepting the glass of water Verde passed to him and Reborn.

"This better work," Mammon said, taking their pill. "Time is money, and I'm wasting them being here."

Fon merely smiled sweetly as he took his, and Skull was the last.

For the next ten minutes, nothing happened, and Verde threw his glass against the wall, disappointed in his prototype and himself. "Fuck," he cursed, showing a rare display of frustration. He crossed his arms, grimacing.

Reborn let out a sigh and walked away, placing his fedora back on his head. Mammon clicked their tongue and faded out of their sight, saying, "You owe me compensation." Colonello too wasn't happy, but he also left quietly. Fon was the only one who was nice enough to stay behind a little longer to assure Verde that none of them were actually angry before leaving to return to stay with his Japanese relative.

Skull was smart enough not to try that but left as well, not feeling angry but a bit sadder than when he came. He missed having a bigger body and riding an actual bike. It seemed as their body were aging again, all their capabilities ourgrowing that than of a baby. Their body were catching up to their renewed age of three and would probably continued to do so until they reached their original peaking age.

For people like Reborn and Fon, they would like to skip repeating that process again before they could do what they did best. For Verde, he attempted and failed, his body a constant reminder from then on. For Skull, it was waiting out years of missing the wind and the air before his body became more adept to taking on muscle memory.

Skull returned to Italy a day later, but when he arrived back to the Carcassa headquarters, he was burning up. He had joined this famiglia a few months after attack on Mafia Land, and currently, he was one of the chief providers of the famiglia's finances which had taken a hard hit since then.

They took care of him well, giving him his own room in the property and a work garage for his own use. Skull liked them enough, and when the current don took ill soon after, his son soon formally took over, a man reaching middle aged a lot softer than his father but a lot wiser and more considerate when it came to the famiglia. Skull got along with Prospero, the new don, quite well since they first met.

.

.

.

Prospero made sure the child stuntman was taken to his room and taken cared of. The former Arcobaleno was in and out of consciousness the entire time he was sick, not sure if he had ever experienced such a burning sensation before, but when it passed, he was relieved, choking out a hoarse cry for water.

A maid came in, and she gasped in surprised when she saw him, rushing out of the room before Skull could say anything else. Moments later, some hurried pairs of footsteps rumbled the floor lightly as they came towards his bedroom, Prospero the first to enter.

‹Skull, is that you?› the man asked, stepping closer to the bed with a cautious expression.

‹Of course, it's me,› Skull replied, blinking his drowsiness away. ‹Where else could I've gone when I was burning up like Hell? My throat hurts.›

Prospero waved for a subordinate to fetch a mirror. ‹Skull, you're not an infant anymore,› he said, sitting down. He waved for the maid. ‹Some water.›

Did Verde's medicine work? ‹Did I return to my adult self?› the cloud user asked, looking at his body. Wait, his limbs were still too short, his hands only a little pudgy. His clothes had torn, his form too big for a three year old but significantly smaller than the don.

‹I believe you should notify Verde of this,› Prospero said, accepting a hand mirror, and then he faced its reflective face towards Skull's.

His baby fat had melted away to give some sharpness to his features, his purple tinted eyes almond shaped. His hair had grown longer, its spikiness tamed downwards until he cut it, and he saw the distinctness of his mother's nose that he had inherited, his lips plump with youthful but chapped from the frigid air.

Skull found out that he had been sick for two weeks, and he immediately contacted Verde. The scientist picked up, Skull surprised to hear a voice low compared to his own still high pitched one.

 _"So it worked,"_ Verde boredly noted, though the scratching of pen on paper said otherwise. _"You outlasted Mammon by two days for the fever. Everyone else recovered in a week."_

"But Verde, I'm still a kid!" Skull shouted. "It didn't work."

_"It didn't work to its full intended purpose. I've been waiting for you, so come back to Japan in three days. I need to see for myself how well it worked."_

With that, Verde hung up.

Three days later, Skull arrived back to Japan, a few subordinates coming along on the orders of Prospero. They left him when he told them that he was going to meet up with his fellow Arcobaleno and that he'd return. At Verde's lab, to Skull's shock, everyone else was a teenager except for him.

"What?" he screamed, thinking that this wasn't fair. "Verde, what the fuck!"

"Shut up, kora," fourteen year old Colonello said, but there was a cheeky smirk on his face. He was taller now than his three year old form, half a foot from six feet and nearly looming over Skull. He already sized up his uniform. "I forgot how handsome I was at this age. I looked like this when I first met Lal."

"This is not a good age to be, Verde," Mammon bit out, looking a lanky thirteen year old even under their cloak. Their arms were crossed. "Fix this."

"I can't," Verde stated, not feeling a bit bad. He was a few inches above Colonello, a lazy stubble on his chin as he bit at the end of a cigarette. He had the disposition much older than a fifteen year old. It wasn't lit, but he probably had it to help keep focus. He was a kind of a messy easily taken cared of but ignored for some experiment or groundbreaking conclusion. "Well, more like I won't."

"Why's that?" Fon asked. At the age of fourteen, his resemblance with Kyoya was striking similar, a near spitting image if the martial artist did not smile at all times with a gentle softness. His braided ponytail reached his back, elegant and poised.

"I estimated that we're a decade away from our original ages, and I've decided this is the best age to start over again with."

"Who let you decide that?" Mammon demanded. "That idiot prince thinks this is funny."

"Yeah, I would like to be a bit older," Colonello said, placing his chin between his thumb and index fingers. His wedding ring glimmered in the light. He smirked. "I wouldn't want to be a teenager father, kora."

Skull was tempted to throw something at the COMBUST soldier but didn't out of fear of retaliation. "Me too!” he said instead, bringing attention to himself, the outlier of the group.

"I'm fine with this," said Reborn, now at the age of fifteen and somehow already fitted into his original tall and lithe figure. He also had a smirk on his lips, finding all of this amusing. He must be very happy about this change. "You added ten more years to my career. I actually peaked around this age the first time."

"Hey, don't ignore me! I'm the one who's still a kid!"

"Well, you are the youngest of all of us. Why don't you go play with the stupid cow?"

Skull wanted to cry, but he didn't.

It was true that he was the youngest of the former Arcobaleno, but he had forgotten about that over the years as a cursed baby. It had been a long time since anyone considered their age difference, Skull the youngest by seven years compared to Luce at the time.

"That's true for me too," Fon said, agreeing with Reborn's statement. "I was recognized as a master after my thirteenth spring and had my first disciplines before my next."

"I'm off by a year, I guess," Mammon noted, "but it was most likely due to malnourishment."

Colonello laughed. "I lied about my age and joined the military when I was fourteen," he said.

"Well, then I guess we're content with our bodies now," Verde concluded. "I'll do more research on the after effects myself, but I won't promise I'll do anything about it. Any medicine at our current stage of life may counterset the prototype."

Skull was getting upset, pulling at Verde's medical coat. "Hey, stop ignoring me," he said. "I didn't start riding bikes until I was _seventeen_ , Verde."

Verde flicked the younger boy away on the forehead, smirking. "Just deal with it, Skull," he said. "You were only nineteen when we were cursed. You were supposed to be from the _next_ generation, not ours."

Skull bit his bottom lip to keep himself from being a crybaby. The truth hurt more than he ever expected, but it was the realization that he was lagging behind that hit him the hardest. He was going to stay the lackey forever at this rate.

"Die, Reborn!"

Everyone but the world's greatest hitman looked over to the shouting from the doorway. Seven year old Lambo, who had outgrown his cow printed onesie and thick afro into a less embarrassing cow printed vest and lively curls, came rushing in with a grenade in his hand, his face scrunched up in frustration as he threw the weapon at Reborn.

He must have followed Reborn all the way from home, tears already falling from his sparkly green eyes.

Reborn, without even looking over his shoulder first, spun around, kicking the grenade back at the Bovino child, and it exploded a foot away from the boy. The explosion was small, but a loud sobbing echoed through the smoke and debris. Lambo was on the floor, his clothes dirty and his face scratched up, but he did not seem to notice that he was hurt.

"Stupid Reborn!" he shouted, crying. "Why did you get bigger than Lambo - san! That's not fair! Lambo - san was better than you, but you cheated! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”

Fon chuckled into a hand, mirth in his dark eyes. "It seems that you've upset your favorite, Reborn," he said lightly.

Reborn huffed, not finding an annoying brat following him amusing as much. "Stupid cow," he muttered as he picked Lambo up and carried the boy over his shoulder like a luggage. "What's there to be upset about? I've always been better than you."

"Lambo - san hates you!" Lambo shouted, hitting the teenage hitman on the back with his weak limbs while his legs kicked too gently. "Stupid Reborn!"

Reborn nodded at his former Arcobalenos farewell, deciding that he was done with the conversation, and walked out, easily ignoring the child throwing a tantrum over his shoulder. He had a light smile barely hidden on his lips.

"I'll see you around," Colonello said, leaving too with a mock salute.

"Waste of my time," Mammon said before their illusion disappeared.

This time, Fon didn't stay behind a little longer and simply left, claiming that the Cavallone Don was planning to take him and Kyoya out for dinner that night. It seemed that Fon had no qualms taking advantage of the blond's affection for his young lover.

"Are you going to bother me any longer?" Verde said, already heading back into his work. He turned away.

"What am I supposed to do now?" Skull asked bitterly. "This isn't fair."

"Science isn't about being fair, Skull. What happens happens. We either adjust it to us or we adjust to it. I believe we are going to do the latter.”

"You didn't let me have a say."

"No one else is complaining anymore. Reborn and I like where we've settled, and the other three have already accepted it."

"Because none of you are still kids! Could you at least keep trying to help me, Verde? I'm three years off from puberty."

Verde hummed. "Fine, if it means you'll leave me alone. I can't promise anything because I'm working on the flame boxes these days, but when I have time."

Skull let out a sigh of relief, deciding this was better than nothing. At least Verde was going to give it some attention.

"Thank you."

.

.

.

As Skull headed back to his hotel, he mulled over unsatisfactorily his condition. From the feel of the heaviness settled into his body, he couldn't work without using his flames to toughen up his muscles right now, but using his flames was difficult because he didn't have them the first time around so it made him exhausted to even practice it. He thanked himself for keeping a private account separate from the Carcassa. He'd need it for the years to come.

Now he didn't know where to go from here.

‹Skull, how was the meeting?› Lucas, one of the oldest members of the Carcassa Famiglia, asked, walking out of the hotel building. He saw the glum expression on his charge's face and knelt down. A lot of people have been doing that ever since he woke up. He probably looked too much like a kid to be taken seriously now. ‹Did something go wrong?›

‹Nothing, Lucas,› Skull simply said, looking down at his feet. ‹This is a permanent change now so I'll be withdrawing from the famiglia.›

The man hesitated, unsure what had brought this up. ‹Why? Do you not like us anymore?›

‹What? No! It's not that! It's just that I can't do anymore shows for the Famiglia. I'm not an Arcobaleno anymore, and I'm not yet the gifted stuntman I'm supposed to be. You invited me to join because I could help you make money, isn't that right? Well, I can't. Not for another decade so you don't need me around as much.›

Lucas frowned. ‹I suppose you're right,› he said, and Skull pursed his lips in anticipation. ‹But things have changed since Don Prospero took over. Of course we need the money, but I believe we would like to have you around anyway. I don't suppose your brilliance is also unavailable even now.›

Skull frowned. ‹What are you saying, Lucas?›

‹You can't ride, that may be true, but I don't believe your intelligence and other skills are indisposed too. Correct?›

‹Correct.›

‹Then you should stay. You can't make money for us, but you can definitely help us raise funds. You're a strategist. Your place can be behind paper as it is on your bike.›

Skull thought about it, and then he nodded, feeling relieved. ‹What will Don Prospero say about it?› he asked.

Lucas smiled, standing up. ‹He'll ask you to stay. The boss likes you.›

The young boy smiled finally, and they headed back to Italy. As Lucas said, Don Prospero indeed asked Skull to stay with the Carcassa Famiglia, going as far as to claim the young boy like a son of the famiglia.

From then on, the others began to dote outwardly on Skull, many noting that he was pretty when his face was uncovered from under all his piercings and makeup. Almost immediately, his Arcobaleno past had become an afterthought as members called him Bambi to his embarrassment.

‹I'm not pretty! Or a girl! I'm the Immortal Skull that Death hates!›

‹Of course, Sir Skull,› said a kitchen maid sweetly. ‹Would you like a biscuit?›

‹. . . Yes, please, Miss Teresa. Thank you.›

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's more to come when I actually finish this stuff, whenever that is . . . I just have a lot of ideas I want to share.


	2. Scarred By Thunder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, pacing is fast for the first few years, it'll slow down though.

**Two more years passed,** and Skull was barely eleven as all the other former Arcobaleno were becoming adults again, much to his frustration. Verde never got back to him.

Again, the world watched in awe of the league of prodigies returning to their places as the world's greatest, making leaps and bounds in their titles. Neo Primo Vongola had just graduated and had finally accepted his place in the mafia world, planning to make the move to Italy with his famiglia. Reborn had made his first hit under Tsuna within the month of the move.

Verde had made scientific bounds, and Mammon was rumored to have a hidden treasury with a wealth that was worth more than fifty famiglias put together. Fon himself had inspired more than three hundred students, most of which entered the Chinese Triads around the globe. Colonello and Lal were heading the training of the CEDEF. Even Yuni was taking her position as the head of the Giglio Nero gracefully and was gathering people with special abilities like her and teaching them.

As for Skull, he was somewhat forgotten in this renewed generation of prodigies, word spoken about the world's greatest stuntman left hanging as questions as to where he could have possibly disappeared to. It was horrifying how quickly people believed there was not a Cloud Arcobaleno to begin with.

‹I feel the same,› nine year old Lambo said, kicking his feet up in the air. He sat on the plush couch in the exquisite drawing room, crayons and drawings on the wooden floor. ‹I think everyone forgot about me too, even though I'm right here in Vongola Manor.›

Skull nodded in agreement. When the Tenth Vongola moved to Italy, Tsuna had requested that Skull came by to play with the youngest Guardian since Lambo had not been back home since he was five, and believing that he owed the young don a debt, Skull accepted and came by at least once a week when he could.

‹I wish I was older too,› Lambo continued, sounding glum. He seemed small in such a big room. ‹Everyone is always leaving, and they don't want to take me with them. It's hard to catch up.›

‹And no one will help us either,› Skull added. ‹I hate being the youngest.›

Lambo nodded, and then he was suddenly pulled up in midair. ‹Ah, Reborn!› he shouted, kicking his limbs in a vain struggle. ‹Let go, stupid hitman!›

Reborn, seventeen years old, smirked, a hand holding Lambo by the back of his shirt. ‹I heard the woes of an idiot cow,› he said. ‹What could be troubling you now? Perhaps you lost your favorite color again?›

‹I'll kill you, Reborn!›

Skull just watched the two as this was a normal interaction between the two. Though Reborn claimed that Lambo wasted a lot of his time just breathing in the same vicinity, the teenage hitman was the one who seeked the boy out when he had returned from a job. It was like Reborn could only relax after a hard day at work by mocking Lambo.

‹Tsuna is looking for you,› Reborn said, placing Lambo over his shoulder like a sack of flour. Again, short limbs struggled weakly. ‹He managed some free time until the dinner party.›

Immediately, Lambo brightened up, looking at the back of Reborn's head. ‹Tsuna wants to play with Lambo?› he asked. ‹Put me down, Reborn! Or walk faster! I want to play!›

‹Demanding brat,› Reborn said, tipping his fedora at Skull with a sharp smile.

‹Move it, stingy Reborn!›

.

.

.

And so life kind of settled in this way, going far too slow in the years before Skull reached his peak again and the weight of childhood finally releasing its hold on him. His limbs became more limber as he stayed committed to his training regiment, and he was already far more flexible than most people in their prime. His place as the Carcassa head financial director brought him some attention and influence among the small to medium ranked famiglias, many dons impressed by his intellect.

‹Bambi, this is Don Giovanni,› Prospero introduced Skull. ‹He wanted to talk with you.›

‹Hello, Don Giovanni,› Skull politely greeted. He held his hand up.

‹What a beautiful boy,› Don Giovanni said, shaking Skull's much smaller hand. Skull didn't expect the other man to thumb at his cheek, but he didn't say anything about it. ‹Bambi? How cute.›

Skull did his best not to blush in embarrassment. ‹Half of my famiglia is blind,› he joked, and Prospero chuckled, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

‹Is that so? Come sit with me, boy.›

Soon, after that meeting, which went very well, Skull found out that Vongola was sending Lambo back to Japan to attend school in Namimori after his thirteenth birthday.

‹That's not fair!› Lambo shouted, throwing his pillow at the wall of his bedroom. ‹I'm suppose to go to school with the other mafia kids! Japan is going to be boring!›

‹How do you think I feel?› Skull shot back. He was currently attending university in Medici. ‹At least Reborn or Gokudera aren't teaching at your school!›

Lambo snickered, forgetting his problems for the moment. ‹How is class with _Professor_ Verde?› the teen asked.

‹Why does he have to teach advanced mathematics and physics! That asshole! He throws shit at me if I put my head down for a second. And he only does it to me!›

‹Then stop attending class. Just show up for exams and do the final. That's what idiot Hayato did, and he graduated in two years.›

Skull's eye twitched. ‹The bastard threatened to fail anyone who misses more than two days of his classes, in total! He teaches _three_ of my classes. He threatened me on the first day. If I know he was going to be teaching, I would've picked another school. Probably somewhere in America.›

Lambo frowned. ‹I would choose Italy.›

Skull sighed, knowing this was going to be difficult the moment Vongola Decimo asked him to come over and talk to Lambo about moving back to Japan.

‹It won't be too bad, Lambo,› he assured. ‹You can visit anytime you want, and everyone is always back and forth between here and Japan anyway. Isn't your sister and Mama in Japan? Don't you miss them?›

‹I know that! But Vongola needs me. I'm the Thunder Guardian.›

‹Who's only thirteen years old and didn't even started middle school yet. Vongola probably just wants you to have a peaceful life like he did before he took over.›

‹But I was born into the mafia world, Skull! I don't want a peaceful life. I want to stay with everyone else.›

‹You know you're going whether you want to or not, right?›

Lambo threw a pillow at him. ‹Shut up, asshole! Fuck you!›

Skull smacked the younger boy. ‹You want to pick a fight?›

‹Yes!›

Without hesitation, Lambo charged at Skull, growling loudly, and Skull was surprised by the younger one's attitude, ending up fumbling on the floor with Lambo on top. He restrained the other boy by the wrists, but green light sparked in his face.

‹Hey, stop it! You're going to hurt yourself!›

 _‹No!›_ Lambo shouted, unknowingly releasing thunder flames around him. ‹I HATE THIS! WHY CAN'T ANYONE UNDERSTAND THAT I WANT TO STAY HERE!›

**_Boom!_ **

‹Fuck!› Skull shouted, a strong wave of electricity striking at the base of his neck at his left shoulder and traveling in one excruciating sweep of his body, and he screamed.

.

.

.

Skull found out that Lambo was already back in Japan and that he missed two days worth of classes, Vongola endlessly but unnecessarily apologizing as Carcassa members flitted in and out of his hospital room. A large bruise mapping out the veins of his neck stood out on his skin, blossoming where it hurt the most, and he didn't dare try to cover it up with makeup when he returned to university the next day, trying to ignore the sharp stinging under his shirt. People stared, but it was nothing compared to the thick textbook that his professor threw at him when he walked into the lecture hall.

‹Nice of you to show up, Mister Skull,› Verde said, not a bit sympathetic with another textbook already in hand. The other students scooted as far away as they could within the room, one or two before been collateral damage. ‹Leave and retake my classes again next year.›

‹You asshole!› Skull shouted on his knees after dodging the first aim. ‹Are you trying to kill me?›

‹It'd take more to kill you than a book.›

‹Like I needed one thrown at me to know that!›

Verde scoffed, putting the second textbook down. ‹Come to my office and we'll discuss whether or not you'll continue to attend my classes. Anyone who isn't in a seat in ten seconds will count as an absence.›

Skull quickly sat down, unaware of his fellow classmates trying not to stare at him because never had this professor been so forgiving of absences before. The genius had ruined STEM majors by refusing to let them in one of his classes again for daring to return after he'd kicked them out. They had so many questions, but they were smart to pay attention again after the guy next to Skull attempted to whisper a question and a marker hit right between the eyes, blowing him backwards on his seat.

Verde's office was an entire lab, gladly given to him by the university to use as he pleased because he was a world renewed scientist and a former Arcobaleno. They'd give him a boardroom seat if he wanted it just so they could put themselves as a patron of his research and experiments, at least on all of the legal ones. It was filled with books and papers, equipment attached to the wall and covering most of the surface of the tables. It was neat and organized, but the abundance of materials made the leftover space small.

‹You can't kick me out,› Skull said when he walked in, sucking in a breath as a numbing static pulsated from his injury. ‹I spent too much time coming to your classes already, and having to take them again next year is a big waste of time. I hate your classes anyway.›

Verde came out of nowhere behind a computer station and kicked Skull on the back of his leg. ‹Ungrateful,› he said, pulling the teenager by the good shoulder thankfully. ‹It was the Vongola Thunder Guardian, I heard. What happened?›

Oh, Skull was there for scientific inquiring. ‹He was angry and frustrated and took it out on me. He didn't even notice what he was doing. It hurts like a bitch.›

Verde sat Skull on a free seat and pulled Skull's shirt without even asking, much to the teen's surprise.

‹Hey!› Skull shouted, reaching in vain to get it back before it was thrown over there.

‹Sit still,› the man ordered, pressing a thumb lightly over the darkest part.

Skull let out a yelp, smacking Verde's hand away. His purple eyes become teary, the numbing static becoming saturated, and his breathing became strained. ‹You're horrible,› he said.

‹The cow has gotten a lot more interesting than I last saw him,› Verde commented.

‹Don't let Reborn hear you say that. I think he's starting to like Lambo.›

‹You barely noticed? Reborn has liked the cow since before the prototype. He is a sly man.›

Skull blinked. ‹What?›

Verde rolled his eyes. ‹You've been in contact with them both for the past few years, and you haven't figured it out. So much like the idiot you are, Skull.›

‹Shut up. Reborn is a jerk to me as much as he is to Lambo, but I don't see him liking me.›

‹That's because you're not the cow.›

Skull tried not to feel insulted. ‹Whatever. Not my problem since Lambo went back to Japan. Bye.›

‹Where do you think you're going? We haven't discuss the terms of you continuing to take my classes.›

‹Ha? You're actually serious about that?›

‹Of course, especially when I've finally found an assistant to teach my lower level classes from now on. I'm getting sick and tired of seeing many insignificant faces day to day. I want to focus more on my research.›

Skull turned around because he didn't want to teach either. The only reason he went to study was to earn triple degrees to be in further use of the Carcassa Famiglia which greatly supported him. He needed a current update of the world of science and ma—

‹Fuck!› he shouted when Verde grabbed him by the bad shoulder unfortunately, and he nearly buckled in pain. ‹You're such an asshole, Verde! Damn it, let go!›

‹The pain tells you that your nerves aren’t dead yet,› the bespeckled professor said, wrapping a long arm around Skull's waist to hold him still. The man, with his free hand, grabbed a small container of a salve and rubbed a bit of it onto the bruising.

A clean, cool spell washed through Skull's entire body, his body grown slack against his instructor as he let out a sigh of relief. He felt Verde's figure outline his, a solid feeling bringing comfort as he relaxed against this will.

‹What is this?› he asked, slowly closing his eyes as his hands clutched at the arm around his waist. ‹God, it's amazing.›

‹Emergency ointment to relieve pain,› Verde explained, rubbing upwards Skull's neck. ‹I use it for experimental injuries so I can keep going.›

Perhaps the medicine was something one had to get used to, but Skull went laxed against his will and imaged a pair of lips kissing at his neck.

.

.

.

The box animals were soon released into the underworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, to everyone who read, kudos'd and commented, I'm amazed because I thought this work would be so niche because KHR has been done for years and this OT3 is just way out there. Like, where have you people been all this time??? Thank you! :D 
> 
> Also, also, I can't promise I'll update at a good pace. I just put up what I have when I have it. Thank you for your patience. ^^


	3. Professor's Pet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, this one's a lot longer, noice. Thank you for the support, this work has gotten a much better reaction than I expected.

**‹I'm Skull,›** he introduced himself, not a stranger to performing in front of an audience, ‹Professor Verde's teaching assistant for the rest of the year. Yes, I'm also a student. No, I'm not as young as I look. Please don't ask me for extra credit or make up work. He's still the one who's grading you, not me. I'm just here to make sure you get the material while he does whatever the fuck he does. Any questions? Yes, Miss Valdi?›

‹Are you single?›

‹Uhm, yes? I'm not currently dating right now, but let's keep questions about the classes. Mister Balsam?›

‹Are you and Professor Verde sleeping together?›

Skull nearly slammed his face into the table. ‹What? No! God, that— that's not—›

‹My friend said he saw Professor Verde hugging you from behind.›

Skull's face flushed. ‹Somebody saw what? Fuck! No, you’re all getting it wrong! Professor Verde and I are not dating. Our relationship is strictly professional. I can't believe— Verde already has a lover!›

The teen regretted the words before they even finished coming out of his mouth, but it was already too late as the entire class of forty-three leaned forward in a collective curiosity about the university's most mysterious instructor who was said to have been dealing with the mafia for years. ‹What kind of lover does the professor have?›

There was two ways to answer this: one, confess and say that he lied and suffer a humiliation he'd never come back from as an assistant instructor, or two, keep going with the lie and get back at the genius scientist. The choice wasn't hard to make.

‹I heard Verde's lover is a contractor of some kind, wears suits and a fedora like he's cool or something. But don't go asking him about it! Verde doesn't look like it, but he's a very jealous man so he might fail you for even talking about his lover. Anyway, no more questions.›

Skull turned around to start his lecture, but perhaps he turned a blind eye to the students who pulled out their phones to spread the rumor of Verde's lover. It wasn't like the asshole would even care, and what did Skull care if Verde or Reborn found out? It wasn't like they were going to come after him, and Reborn was never going to come to the university anyway.

Besides, the teen had other things to worry about, like securing a permanent membership with the Sayonara Sisters, a pair of Japanese assassins who killed with razor edge fans, for the Carcassa Famiglia. It wouldn't be difficult since Prospero was playing his cards right with advice from Skull, who suspected that the twins were interested in the don since their partnership started a few months ago.

It was really good timing because Prospero was nearing his forty but was not yet married, leaving the famiglia unsecured in its future. Sayonara Katsuki and Hinata were beautiful women, graceful and cooperative, and Skull had seen how skilled they were with their weapon heirlooms, and they had been looking at Prospero from the corner of their eyes, biting the inside of their cheeks when he spoke to them and trying not to laugh.

In addition, they had some leftover fortune from their former nobility and were intelligent women, speaking ten languages altogether. It would be an unconventional marriage with two wives, but with Vongola and his Guardians long entered the mafia world, the sisters' heritage would garner some support, and a ménage à tres marriage would be right up there with highly positioned gay couples as well, such as in Varia and Cavallone already. Prospero would treat them kindly despite that, Skull trusted.

Whenever Katsuki and Hinata came by after a job to report their success, Skull made sure they were taken cared of by the staff and ensured that his boss would spend a little alone time with them, even for just two minutes. Soon, Skull hoped, his labor would bear fruit.

And Skull needed to make time to go to Japan, but it was nearing midterm exams. Everyone was in a serious mood, taking up all his office hours when he had them in big numbers, it felt like he was holding mini classes. Halfway through the week, he had a few instructors in the department come to him and ask if they could ask him to take over a class or two in future, to which Skull said he'd get back to them soon.

When the exam period was over, Skull, after barely turning sixteen again, felt exhausted.

‹Bambi, why do you look so tired?› Don Giovanni asked at a gala in the heart of the city.

Skull had only met the don a year ago, but he did not like it when the man called him by that nickname tolerated for members of his famiglia. ‹Just trying to balance out school and the family,› he said, forcing a chuckle to seem friendly. ‹How are you tonight, sir?›

‹Oh, quite fine,› Giovanni said, placing an arm around Skull's back and pulling the boy closely. ‹Why don't you come with me and we can chat somewhere a little more quietly?›

Skull kept a smile on his face, wanting to inch away but can't, not without risking offending the man.

"Skull - kun," Katsuki said, placing a soft hand on Skull's shoulder. Her fingernails were painted blue, her lips a deep red. She was without either her sister or the don. "Are you okay?"

"No, actually," Skull truthfully replied, easily finding the opportunity to peel himself away from Giovanni who was caught unexpectedly. ‹Apologies, Don Giovanni, but my lady friend here has lost Don Prospero and her sister. It was nice to see you here tonight. Perhaps we'll come across each other again before the night is over.›

With that, Skull skillfully led himself and Katsuki away from the don, who silently took the offhanded response.

"Thank you so much, Katsuki - san," Skull said when they reached the other side of the room. "I wasn't sure how to refuse him."

Katsuki smiled. "I noticed, and Prospero - san asked me to help you," she said. "Prospero - san does not like that man. Would you like me to kill him?"

"No, it's fine. He just has his eyes on me, but we need him to keep our territory northeast of the town square. Their headquarters is closer to it than ours."

"But I saw that Skull - kun was disgusted by Blanco."

"You don't need to worry, Katsuki - san. He can't hurt me. You might not believe it, but I'm pretty strong. He doesn't scare me."

Katsuki nodded, placing her arms around his. "Let me keep you company for a while, Skull - kun."

Skull smiled back. "Sure. That'd be nice."

One night later, word spread throughout Italy that Don Prospero was engaged, and Skull, in his excitement and joy, send word to all his former Arcobaleno to come and bless the marriage with their presence. It was to be a surprise.

.

.

.

‹Your joy is irritating. Stop it.›

Skull ignored the scientist and continued writing out the correct way to solve marked off problems, humming happily to himself as Verde conducted his experiment in his lab. Now was the usual time for them to meet up and go through class schedules and grades.

‹You need to pick up Fon before class tomorrow.›

Skull paused. ‹He doesn't have somewhere to stay in Italy?›

‹He does, but he said that he might spend some time exploring because his disciplines get a break in order to rest. So he'll be spending some time around the city.›

‹Why do I have to pick him up?›

‹It's _your_ don's wedding, Skull. You should be grateful we all agreed to go.›

Skull let out a whine, dropping his face against the table surface. ‹Can't we just send him an escort? I have class at 7:30 tomorrow, _your_ class.›

‹He's staying with me for the time being, so I might as well have you bring him here anyway.›

‹Huh? When did you and Fon get so chummy?›

‹We're not. After Luce, he's the most tolerable, and consider it returning a favor.›

‹What was the favor?›

‹You ask too many questions, so shut up and do my work for me.›

‹. . . Lazy bastard.›  
  
‹What was that?›

‹Nothing! Getting back to work now!›

So the next morning, at the crack of dawn, Skull was at the airport, hoping that Fon carried light because he rode his bike everywhere. He looked at his phone again, not even a minute passed since the last time he checked it. He needed to get to class.

«I didn't think you'd be picking me up,» spoke a soft and gentle voice, standing only a few feet in front of him.

Skull looked up, glad to see that it was Fon in his traditional red with sleeves purposely made to be a bit longer pasted his fingertips. The teen had to take a double take because he thought he was looking at Hibari, but the Cloud Guardian didn't greet in Chinese.

«Verde is bastard,» Skull answered, looking for any bags but finding none. Whatever Fon had must be in the pockets of his pants. «Come on. I have to get to class, and the ride back takes some time.»

«Ah, yes, Verde spoke about you taking and teaching his classes. He hasn't changed much, has he?»  
  
«Not with his head so stuck up in his ass, no.» Skull led the older man to where he parked his bike and gestured for Fon to get behind him. «How have you been?»

«Quite well, but I’m curious about you, Skull. How have you been living a non-Arcobaleno lifestyle? I haven’t heard much about you in the underworld these days. It’s like everyone forgot about you.»

Skull grumbled, pressing the gas a little bit harder. «It’s fine,» he shouted over the wind. «Honestly, the last seven years have gone by so fast that I’ve been measuring time in days. With all my practicing, I might actually be able to do my stunts again pretty soon, but I’ve been thinking of doing other things too. Carcassa has been treating me really well, and I’ve been expanding my skill sets. I hate that Verde put me in his teaching position, but I’m already getting recognition from the university outside of being a student.»

«I’m glad. Everyone had returned to what they did before, but it seems that you’re the one who’s changed the most. You must invite me to your first stunt show if you ever have one again. It’s not often we experience each other’s firsts.»

Skull blushed lightly, embarrassed by the praise. It had been a while since he last saw Mammon, and the CEDEF power couple have been doing a lot of undercover work. Reborn have not returned from his trip escorting Lambo to Japan last Skull asked Vongola, and Skull was not particularly close to Yuni as the hitman was.

The rest of the trip back to the university was a quiet one, making such a light yet serene conversation that Skull could not help but notice the leaves of the trees that hung over them on the road, unknowingly losing his sense of time. Skull felt himself blink into his usual parking space on campus, Fon already getting off and waiting for him to lead the way.

«How did you do _that_?» the teen asked, picking up his bag as he pocketed his keys. «What did we even talk about?»

Fon gently smiled, pressing his fingertips together. «Who knows?» he replied, chuckling. «Shall we go?»

Skull nodded, taking a look at his phone. **7:30.** «Fuck!» he shouted, immediately going into a sprint because his first class was on the _other_ side of campus. Nevermind, he took back what he felt about the ride back, not bothering to give Fon a signal to follow him because he knew the martial artist didn’t need one. «I swear to God this was a set up!»

He heard Fon’s soft laughter at his side, light like the steps he took to keep up. «Verde was the one to purchase the plane ticket on my behalf.»

One frustrated curse echoed loudly throughout the hall as Skull ran even faster, Fon now trying to restrain his laughter behind his hand as he continued after the younger one.

«I hate you both! I swear I’ll get back at you for this! Make my life a living hell, why don’t you? You would expect grown adults to have better things to do than tease your youngers! I take back that I thought of you as calming, Fon! And Verde is a shitty tea—»

Skull flinched out of the way as instinct sent blaring alarms of the sharp point of a compass flying straight at his face, ducking down as it continue past him. He looked up, seeing that tool was caught by Fon with one hand, as if he had simply plucked it out of the air like a flower from a garden.

«Verde, that’s not nice,» Fon said calmly, throwing it back where it came from, and it pinned itself two inches deep at the wall above where Verde firmly stood.

The class watched in shock as they backed away from the entranceway, hoping not to get in between these two men who sounded friendly but their eyes looked at each other intensely, a power balance that was not being tipped but overall heavy and present.

‹Nice of you to show up, Mister Skull,› Verde said in monotone. ‹Please leave and retake my classes again next year.›

Skull jumped up, pointing accusingly at the genius. ‹Fuck you, asshole!› he shouted, fuming and fumbling with his words. ‹You could’ve killed me!›

Verde scoffed, unimpressed as he waved the accusation off. ‹Whatever,› he dismissed just like that, throwing a set of keys at the teen this time, and Skull caught it. ‹I forgot how much I hated your face. Go settle yourself in my place. Take the idiot with you so you don’t get lost. Now get out.›

‹I need this class to graduate,› Skull reminded with a frown.

Fon, on the other hand, didn’t seem to care as he said, «Let’s go on a date, Skull.» He grinned when Skull’s cheek dusted in pink, ignoring Verde’s look of amusement, and gently pushed against Skull’s forehead with a light tap. «Verde never mentioned how cute you are now.»

Skull’s face turned red, eyes wide in surprise because Fon and Verde spoke occasionally and probably mentioned him once or twice and Fon wanted to go on a date and said he was cute. He had no idea what was going on, but he really wished they weren’t in a large class right now so he didn’t have to hide his face on the campus for the next few days.

«I didn’t think of you as one to play games, Fon,» the bespectacled man said, taking out a cigarette. How rare, Skull thought as he watched Verde place a stick between his lips and held his hand closely to light it up.  «How heartless.»

Fon merely smiled before pushing Skull out of the classroom before the teenager could protest. «You’ve been keeping secrets,» he replied. «We’ll discuss this later, Verde.»

When Skull realized that he needed to get back to class, he and Fon were already outside of the lecture building and Fon was looking at him gently. «I've not seen Mammon for quite a while,» he said, suggesting something to do. «I would to see how they are doing.»

«Uhm, sure,» the teen replied, giving up today. He hadn't seen much of the illusionist these days either. They headed towards his bike again. «I can take you to see Yuni too.»

«I would like that. Let's get a gift for her before we see her. I haven't repaid her for sending me tea for my last birthday.»

«You keep in contact with her?»

«Of course,» Fon said matter of factly as he sat behind Skull on the bike. «I've been keeping contact with all of the other, actually. Reborn and Lal visit me in China once in a while, and Colenello send postcard by his eagle. Verde and Mammon pick up my call most of the time, and Yuni and I exchange letters.»

Skull rode his bike out of campus before he replied, «What about me? I haven't heard anything from you until now.»

Fon hummed. «I don't know what to do with you.»

Skull wasn't sure how to feel about that, but in the moment, he guessed he felt a little heartbroken. Was he really that out of the fray with the other former Arcobaleno that even Fon, the most peaceful of them all, didn't speak to him years? He hadn't felt this alone within the group since he was nine a second time while everyone were already teenagers. Even now he was still just a kid as the others were adults again and doing what they did best. He was still trying to get his stunts right, but they were still off by a margin, insignificant but nothing like his greatly acclaimed performances.

«Okay then,» he voiced out, and the rest of the ride was silent. Fon didn't say anything to assure him or to apologise, so Skull guessed that the martial artist did not feel bad about this distance between them.

.

.

.

Varia headquarters was the manor at the other end of Vongola property, facing the other way and hidden within the thick greenery allowed to grow wild through the generations. It reached through the back path to Vongola Mansion, taking a left where the road split off. Only members and close associates knew of this, and that was the one Skull took, knowing that there were many people watching and allowing him to pass. There was a chance that he won't be allowed on the property without permission soon now that Lambo was no longer around.

‹Oh, hello,› the Varia Sun Guardian greeted with a hushed chipper. ‹Skull and Fon, right? The Cloud and Storm Arcobaleno babies? You must be here to see Mammon. Well, come in. They're currently in the library. Make sure to be quiet, okay? The Boss hasn't gotten up yet, so he'll shoot anyone who's too noisy.›

‹Thanks,› Skull said, entering the manor quietly with Fon right behind him.

Lussuria waved his own dismissal back to whatever he was doing before. Varia Manor didn't have a serving staff outside of cleaning and renovating. The muay thai fighter was the one who did most of the cooking and directing, taking on the more feminine role of the household, while the others lounged around until they had a job to do.

Though the manor was supposed to be Varia headquarters, only the core members ever went there to report back to their boss, the rest wisely reporting to the general branch which would make it back through the captain who oversaw who went where for missions.

Mammon did most of the information collecting, which sometimes put them in conflict with Hibari Kyoya's Foundation because whenever the Foundation had information on something Mammon needed to know, the illusionist would get stingy about payments. So at the renewed age of twenty, the greedy illusionist had a small, independent branch of their own.

‹Fon,› the illusionist greeted, sitting on the couch in the library with Belphegor's head on their lap. They ignore Skull who tried not to pout. It wasn't like they lived in the same country for the past decade, but whatever, he guessed.

‹Shishishi,› Belphegor laughed, ‹what a surprise. It's been awhile since I've seen more than two babies in the same room.›

‹Not a baby,› Skull complained at the twenty-three year old, crossing his arms. He wanted to leave already because people were already mocking him.

Fon smiled, sitting down on the only other seat available, and he patted at the empty space beside him for Skull, who obliged because it'd be awkward to be the only one standing up. Lussuria came in for a moment to drop off some snacks and drinks because ‹We should at least be somewhat hospitable to the very few guests we have. Now play nice.›

Skull didn't do much while he was there as the older two former Arcobalenos spoke to each other as if they were just continuing on their conversation whenever they last stopped. Fon sipped tea as Mammon brushed Belphegor's hair, and there was a calm, peaceful atmosphere here. Skull was sure the blond man fell asleep, not a part of him moving beside the up and down of his chest. Skull himself tried to pay attention to what the other two were talking about, and he found himself feeling . . . disconnected.

Fon was going to bring Lambo's adoptive sister, I-pin, back to China for training in about a year, and that the martial art master had not one but three schools of discipline back in his homeland.

Mammon, on the other hand, was building up on their organization with the intention of becoming the European counterpart of the Foundation in Japan, and they had the idea of creating a better network within the underground world by creating a new system that would ensure no ordinary people would just wonder in while simultaneously protecting mafioso members, for a cost of course.

Skull wondered how the two kept in touch all these years. He couldn't image them calling each other, or setting up a video chat. Maybe they talked to each other through letters. Yeah, that'd make a lot of sense, probably in Mandarin because the characters were just so pretty when written down, whether by pen or brush.

Fon's letters would be elegant, crafted carefully that it was like he was speaking in poems. Mammon's would be strict and curt but no details got left behind so their letters look like blocks of text. Skull, his letters, if he wrote letters, would be messy, unpracticed because he'd no reason to write in Mandarin, mostly only Italian. He hadn't left the country in a while, and people understood him already by speaking to him.

‹You’re talking too much,› Belphegor said out of nowhere, more awake than Skull thought. ‹The prince doesn't like it.›

‹Childish,› Mammon commented, not stopping their fingers from brushing through the blond's hair.

Belphegor clicked his tongue, turning to face towards Mammon on their lap still. ‹Noisy.›

Skull was pretty sure he saw a ghost of a smile under the illusionist's hood. The teen wondered how long the two of the had been like this, probably for _years_. He just guessed not many people really noticed it because those two rarely showed up in public, but Skull could only ever remember them as a pair, being together.

Independent and strong on their own, the two still sought each other out for company, and maybe even comfort. Skull wished he had something like that.

(Lord, he was starting to sound like an actual teenager.)

.

.

.

Fon decided to go visit Yuni tomorrow because by the time they left Varia Manor, it was sunset. Skull should've just left the martial artist with the illusionist for the day and come back to pick him up, but it was already too late. He didn't have any classes to go to by then.

«Skull, let's go get dessert,» the Chinese man said with a soft smile.

«Ha?» Skull sounded, a little surprised about that coming out of the blue. «Dessert? Why would you want dessert?»

«Just a craving. Please be kind to me.»

Skull rolled his eyes, but he guessed he could go out of his way since Fon was here in Italy at his request. The least he could do is be an entertaining host. «Okay, okay, we'll get dessert.»

They rode into the city, Skull knowing exactly what to get because he always craved them. They were silent on the way there, but it didn't take long for them to arrive at a small restaurant that was protected by Carcassa, the owners knowing and liking Skull. He parked his bike and lead the way in, Fon receiving curious looks which he ignored innocently.

‹My good sir!› the main hostess greeted Skull immediately when they came through the front door. ‹Welcome back. Is there something we can help you with, or are you looking for a table?›

‹Evening, Rebecca,› Skull greeted back with a nod. ‹Yes, table for two please. We're here for dessert.›

Rebecca glanced over to Fon who smiled at her politely, and there was a knowing look in her eyes. ‹Of course,› she said, leading them to a secluded table across from the front entrance. A waiter dropped off a bottle of wine as she made sure they were both seated before pouring them out both a glass. ‹We’ll bring you your favorite, Mister Skull. Now don't let me interrupt your date. I'll be back promptly.›

‹It’s _not_ a . . .› But Rebecca was already gone, heading into the kitchen personally. Skull felt his face go red, embarrassed by the implication. «Sorry about that,» the teen said, «she likes to tease.»

«It’s fine,» Fon assured with a chuckle, reaching out a hand to thumb across Skull's cheek, which were a soft pink, before pulling back. «This _is_ romantic.»

Skull raised an eyebrow, and then he looked around: quiet setting, candles at every table, parties of couple's here and there, wine glasses, soft and quiet piano music, hush voices. _Oh_.

«D— Don't think too much about it,» Skull lamely said, taking his glass to drink about half of it out of awkwardness. «I just like this restaurant.»

«Of course,» Fon said, sly smile on his handsome face. _Handsome?_ «Thank you for taking me here, Skull.»

«Yeah, you're welcome.»

It didn't take long before Rebecca came back, placing two plates of _semifreddo_.

Skull enjoyed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be kind to my OCs, even if they're minor. ^^ 


	4. Wedding Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is very long and doesn't really center around Skull, but I like to take good care of my OCs, and I like Don Prospero, Katsuki, and Hinata. They are very gentle, and they are beloved to Skull in this verse. Please take care of them. ^^ (Things start to slow down at this point in the narrative.)

**The morning of the wedding** was one of the best that Skull had ever seen, temperature predicted to be the mild best fit for a ceremony and celebration. Skull was excited along with the rest of the Carcasses Famiglia as the small estate was already awake and making last minute arrangements.

The former Arcobaleno took the last few days to make sure his surprise wasn't going to fall flat on him, almost forgetting to pick up his suit had it not been Lucas who got it for him, not disappointed but exasperated as one could ever with a teenager.

Skull quickly made his rounds around the estate to double check with everything himself, guest not expected to arrive until dusk, so he went around his casual clothing. The amount of food was more than Prospero thought was necessary for the number of guests they'd invited, close allies and associates, but Skull assured him it was best to have more lefttover than to run out.

The large back garden was beautifully decorated, the great patio door leading up into the ballroom so guests can go in and out as they pleased as tables were set up for them to sit and chat, bouquets of roses and lilies as  centerpieces in baby blue glass vases. Skull made sure to remind the estate staff that extra tables should be set up half an hour before the ceremony for them to watch in the ceremony as well.

The teenager was so worried he lost track of time, going through the lists of important things when Missus Teresa reminded him that the guests should be arriving in less than an hour. Skull’s eyes widened, and he shot out of the garden and into his room, quickly cleaning up and dressing in his suit.

It was a dark purple suit, dress shirt white and his tie black, tailored specifically for him, and it fit him as well as his old stunt suits back in the day. He liked the comfortable snugness around his waist and shoulders, though he missed the gloves and helmet just a tad bit.

Once done, Skull headed downstairs, looking for Prospero. Katsuki and Hinata were not expected to show up until the ceremony, but as the groom and head of the household, Prospero was expected to greet his guests, Skull and Lucas his second if he was needed somewhere else.

‹Bambi!› the middle-aged don called out at the bottom of the stairs. He was dressed especially in an all white suit, grinning brightly.

‹Don Prospero,› Skull greeted happily, giving his surrogate father a hug. ‹Congratulations! I'm so happy for you.›

‹Thank you, Skull. I know I wouldn't be here without you. Katsuki and Hinata told me about your meddling!› Skull pursed his lips, looking guilty, but Prospero drew him in an one arm hug. ‹Nothing to be sorry for. We all enjoyed the process. That reminds me though, why don't I set you up with someone? I would love to see you married one day!›

‹No way!›

‹Ah, but still, if someone catches your eye, Bambi, let me know. I'll speak on your behalf, gladly.›

‹That— That’s real— Oh, our first guests are arriving!›

Prospero merely laughed at the weak attempt at distraction, but he let it go anyway, greeting their first guests.

Two hours later, after most of the guests (no more than two hundred) had arrived, the back of the estate was lively with chatter despite how small it was for a mafioso boss wedding, but a few years ago, Carcass would've only had a fifth of this number, so this was going better than expected.

Food and drinks were passed around as guests began to converse and share stories, Prospero going around to chat and thank each and every one of his guests for coming and that he was honored by their presence. Skill diligently kept an eye on his wristwatch to make sure timing wasn't off.

Just when he was about to leave the party for a moment to check in on the future wives of his boss, he was being called, ‹Bambi!›

‹Don Giovanni,› Skull replied a little surprised, though smiled. The old don had arrived fashionably late and Skull didn't not see him until now. There was a younger man, looking a few older than Skull, beside him, looking somewhat similar, somewhat familiar, to the don with the short nose and dark eyes. ‹I'm glad you're able to make it. Don Prospero will be so happy to see you.›

‹It's a wonderful day to get married,› Don Giovanni said, taking Skull by the hand and lingering against his skin a little too long. ‹Bambi, let me introduce you to my son, Raul.›

The younger man smiled, holding a hand out to Skull with a charming smile. ‹It's finally nice to meet you, Bambi,› he said softly. ‹Father told me so much about you, good things.›

Skull flushed, the nickname gaining traction in the worst way. He could only hope that no said called him that when his surprise guests arrived. He shook hands with Raul. ‹I'm glad,› he said. ‹I'm Skull, Bambi is just a nickname my family likes to tease me with.›

Raul grinned. ‹It's fitting. I’ve only heard about you as Professor Verde’s teaching assistant.›

 _Oh_. ‹My apologies, you attend the same university? I didn't recognize you.›

‹I registered under my mother’s maiden name. It gets less heads turning my way.›

Skull nodded in understanding, doing the exact same thing. ‹I'm sorry to leave you so soon, Don Giovanni, Mister Raul, but the ceremony is about to start soon. Please make yourself comfortable, and I'll see you after the vows.›

The teenager quickly made his getaway, waving at the father-son pair as he rushed into the manor, and he didn't stop his quick pace until he reached the dressing room, where the brides had spent all day preparing with their help.

“Wow,” Skull expressed his amazement loudly, seeing how beautiful the sisters were in their traditional Japanese wedding kimono, the large matching hood over their softly made up faces. Embroidered in white thread on the backs of their dress, the Carcassa Famiglia insignia spread down and across, imposing and difficult to miss. “You are so beautiful. Prospero will definitely cry when he sees you.”

The sisters blushed, gently smiling. “Thank you, Skull - kun,” Hinata said, bowing slightly. “You look handsome.”

Skull smiled as he entered the room, closing the door behind him. They had to wait for Lucas to come and accompany the women down to the ceremony with Skull. This was not the most traditional of weddings, but they managed to mix the two cultures.

“Thank you,” he said, wiping his eyes. He couldn't believe this day was happening.

“Ah, what's wrong, Skull - kun?” Katsuki asked, reaching over to pet the teenage”s hair. “Are you not well?”

“No, I'm fine. I'm just so happy, you know? I worked for Carcassa and knew Don Piero, but Prospero took me in. I'm very grateful that the two of you would make him happy for me. I don't know how to make it up to you, Hinata - san, Katsuki - san. I'm in your debt.”

Skull was glad he foregone his usually makeup because he would've wiped it ugly across his face as he cried.

“There's no debt,” Katsuki said, pulling out a clean handkerchief from her kimono. “Today we're going to be a family, Skull - kun. There’s no obligation to make family happy, only desire.”

Hinata chuckled, helping her sister with Skull. “We should thank you, Skull - kun,” she added. “Working for Carcassa was supposed to be a one time job, but you invited us to stay and made up feel welcomed here. We wouldn't be here if it were it not for your keen eye.”

Skull laughed, gently taking both their hands and pressing kisses in their knuckles. “It’s a wonderful day for a wedding,” he said, and the three chatted about their guests, Lucas soon arriving. The ceremony was about to start.

With Lucas accompanying Katsuki first and Skull accompanying Hinata second, the women were escorted down from the dressing room from the second floor, stepping with all grace as their faces were faced lowly. The Carcassa men gently guided them down the steps and into the grand ballroom which had now been emptied and had a clear path opened to the garden, where a hundred feet away, Prospero stood at the altar built for this day.

With a silent cue from Lucas, the orchestra began to play, and the garden quieted down, awaiting the ceremony. With a smile to Hinata, Skull followed closely behind Lucas and Katsuki at a pace that'd was reasonable and yet allowed their guests to see the beautiful brides. His heart felt like bursting, Hinata’s hand on his arm squeezing tightly in anticipation.

Soon they get to Prospero and the priest, and Skull happily handed Hinata to his boss, who looked at her adoringly as he moved her to his right, Katsuki at his left. Skull quickly stepped to the side, standing off from the center of the altar, and he tried not to cry again as the priest began to speak, his voice broadcasting throughout the garden and the manor.

Then the groom and brides exchanged rings and vows, a silver ring encrusted with amethyst on Katsuki, a gold ring encrusted with lilac stones on Hinata, and a ring from each sister to match on Prospero, purple stainless steel one with white diamonds and the other with yellow sapphires. Skull clung onto Lucas throughout the whole process, his head on the older man’s shoulder in his moment of weakness.

‹A happy day,› Lucas said, clasping a hand on the other’s shoulder, ‹a happy day indeed. You did well, Skull.›

When the priest pronounced Don Prospero and his brides as husband and wives, the entire audience stood up and clapped, wishing politely for their happiness, especially by the staff and servants who worked for them. The wedded trio walked down the aisle, heading back into the manor to give them a little bit of private time together as the new wives changed into more appropriate dresses to greet and thank their guests personally.

Skull and Lucas took that time to make sure the beautiful wedding cake was brought up to the altar for the trio’s return, asking the staff and servants to refill and replace empty cups and dirty plates. Lucas had the hired orchestra play softly as they wait, and Skull was about to talk to the staff and servants to check in on them as they went back to the care of the wedding but was stopped by Raul, his father nowhere to be seen.

‹Bambi, promise me you'll have a dance with me,› the young man said, catching Skull smoothy by the waist. He had a coyish shine in his eyes, which made the former Arcobaleno blush a little.

‹You do know that there are many beautiful young women here to ask to dance with you, Mister Raul?› Skull asked, taking a step back from embarrassment. ‹And my name is Skull.›

Raul chuckled, leaning a little bit forward. ‹Apologies, it's a habit I've gotten from my father. I've only ever heard him refer to you as Bambi. He's taken a great liking to you, so I've only heard good things about you. I recognized you by the teardrop on your face, but I never had the chance to talk to you. And the women here, they don't interest me the way you do.›

Skull laughed a bit. ‹Perhaps you should wear glasses, Mister Raul,› he joked. ‹I'm not that interesting, no matter what Don Giovanni says about me. My age just surprises people, when really, it shouldn't.›

‹Maybe, but I find you interesting nonetheless. You were an Arcobaleno, right? That's why you know Professor Verde? And I know you only _look_ like you're young. The mafia tells a lot of ghost stories, and you're one of them.›

‹Well, that was a long time ago. The Arcobaleno doesn't exist anymore, and we don't speak much, only occasionally.›

‹But it doesn't mean I don't like you for you, Bambi. I think you're cute, especially when you're teaching.›

Skull’s face reddened, and he blinked a few times in surprise of the confession, which made Raul chuckle, a sound that was low and rough. ‹C— cute? I think you've mistaken, Mister Raul, but thank you. I'm very flattered. I didn't expe—›

The phone in his back pocket interrupted him with a soft ding, and Skull pulled it out, looking at the notification: ** _LACKEY, DOOR. —Colonello_**

‹I'm sorry, Mister Raul, but I must go for a bit!› Skull said, walking quickly into the manor. ‹We can speak later!›

The teen didn't wait long enough to hear Raul’s response before he was bolting to the front entrance, pulling the door open with a childish giddiness, and he counted all seven his former Arcobaleno, along with an extra guest being Tsunayoshi Vongola. Prospero will be stunted because the biggest names in the underworld just showed up to his wedding.

‹You showed up!› Skull shouted happily, quickly moving out of the way and pushing the front entrance open. ‹Thank you so much! Please come in, the ceremony had just ended, but Don Prospero and his new wives are going to greet the guests formally soon. Please come in!›

‹Someone’s excited,› Reborn, filling in his suit like a god, remarked, crossing the threshold. ‹You owe me a favor, lackey.›

‹We're friends, Uncle Reborn,› Yuni chided softly with a smile, the soft baby blue of her dress billowing gently. ‹Of course we are happy to come for you, Skull.› There was no room for discussion there.

‹Is it true that your don married the Sayonara Sisters?› Colonello asked, curious. He was dressed in his usual camouflage uniform, his sniper rifle left behind. ‹I heard they are making way up in the ranks as silent killers. I want to test a new gadget on them, kora.›

‹Ask after the honeymoon,› Lal Mirch said, being more polite between the two and actually wearing a cocktail dress resembling the surface of the ocean that went past her knees. ‹And definitely not in front of the don.›

‹It's a beautiful night for a wedding,› Fon complimented with a smile, his usually red a shade richer than usual. It reminded Skull the lanterns they put up for the Lunar New Year which was vibrant and full of fire. ‹The atmosphere here is peaceful, don't you think, Verde?›

‹I don't really care,› Verde replied, chewing on his bottom lip like he wanted a smoke. He had foregone his white lab coat for a dark peacoat that snuggled against this tall, lithe frame. For the first time, he looked like an actually professor. ‹I won't be here for more than two hours.›

‹Time is money,› Vi— Mammon said, floating mysterious under their cloak a foot up in the air. ‹I expect the transfer to my account in ten hours, Skull.›

Skull rolled his eyes as he closed the door behind them, thinking that his fellow ex-Arcobalenos were the same as always. He was just thankful Yuni was there too because he'd risk being taunted and bullied the rest of the night by Colonello and Reborn.

“Skull, I've brought gifts for the brides,” Tsunayoshi said, following at Skull’s pace. The young man had grown taller and more confident, his height at least half a foot more than Skull, and he was wearing a new suit, a purple handkerchief and a lavender flower in his breast pocket to show his friendliness. In his hands, there were two small boxes made out of polished wood. “Should I give then to you to give to them later, or may I gift it to them myself?”

“Oh!” Skull sounded, happy that Tsunayoshi was being so kind to his new sisters. “You can give it to them yourself, Vongola! Katsuki - san and Hinata - san will so happy that you brought them gifts. Let me hold onto them for you until you do though. I can't believe you're here. I only asked the other Arcobaleno to come tonight.” The teen took the wooden boxes from the don, holding them carefully.

“I consider you a friend of mine, Skull. When Reborn told me about tonight, I asked to come because I wanted to support you. I can't thank you enough for being friends with Lambo. Even if he never admitted it, it gets pretty lonely in the Manor.”

“Is that why you sent him back to Japan?”

Tsunayoshi smiled tightly, nodding his head. “I knew it'd upset him, but it's for the best. There's a school for the mafia’s children here, but he should have a chance for a normal life and a happy family. I visit, and so do the others, but that's only when we have enough time in between missions and our other duties. At least back in Japan, Lambo would be able to have more stability with my parents and I-pin. Besides, Kyoya - san refuses to move here so I know Lambo is very safe back home.”

“When will he be back _here_?”

“Hopefully, not until he graduates high school, and maybe he'll come back to Italy to attend college. As much as he wants to uphold his title as my Thunder Guardian, I prefer if he remains outside of fights as much as possible.”

“You know that'll upset him even more.”

“I know.”

Skull frowned, but he let the conversation drop. How Tsunayoshi wanted to deal with Lambo wasn't his business, not when he hadn't seen the younger boy in almost a year, but Skull still felt bad for Lambo who wanted nothing more than to be a part of Vongola. It seemed that Tsunayoshi wanted something different for his baby brother.

“You should know he's sorry,” Tsunayoshi said, breaking the teen's thoughts, “about his outburst.”

Skull smiled despite how painful it was at the time. “It's not his fault,” he replied. “I'll tell him myself when I finally visit Japan when the school year ends. I've made plans for a vacation.”

The don brightened up. “That's great, Skull. While you're there, please stay over at my home. Mama and Dad would be happy to have you as their guests. You'll have a good time there, but call me if you need anything. Let me take care of you while you're back home.”

“Thank you, Vongola. I'll take you up on that.”

Skull and his special guests stepped out into the large garden then, and all eyes were turned to them as the mafioso present would of course recognize each and every one of them, Tsunayoshi especially. People began to whisper, surprised to see them at a small famiglia’s wedding night.

‹Don't just stand there,› Skull said, laughing a bit because he was a really good mood right now. ‹Go mingle a bit. Don Prospero and his wives will be out soon. Don't ruin my surprise.›

‹Don't order me around, lackey,› Reborn remarked, holding an arm out for Yuni like a gentleman, but he went into the crowd anyway, Yuni chuckling lightly.

‹Let's grab something to eat,› Colonello said, grabbing his wife by the hand. ‹It looks amazing, kora!›

‹Slow down, you idiot,› Lal Mirch said affectionately as she was being dragged along.

‹I see some potential sponsors,› Mammon stated, floating off somewhere.

‹Come find me when your boss is back,› Verde said, yawning into his hand as he walked away to a less crowded area. Fon nodded at Skull and Tsunayoshi before he went after Verde, seemingly continuing a conversation they had left off unfinished.

“Would you like me to keep you company, Vongola?” Skull offered, picking up a full champagne glass and handing it to Tsunayoshi who accepted it. The teenager picked up a glass himself, the gifts held closely to his body with his free hand.

“I'd like that,” the don said, taking a sip before he spoke again, “but I think it's more for your benefit that it is for mine.” They began to walk around the garden.

Skull flushed, being caught by the young man’s strong Intuition. “I'm trying to avoid one of the guests here,” he confessed. “He's the son of an allied don, and he told me he thinks I'm _cute_.”

Tsunayoshi chuckled lightly. “You don't like him?”

“It's not that, Vongola. I just don't know him, but we attend the same college apparently. There shouldn't be any reason for him to find _me_ interesting.”

“But I think you're interesting.”

“Because I was an Arcobaleno. But I've faded into obscurity compared to the others. Most of the mafia world forgot about me.”

“People think about you a lot more than you believe, Skull. Trust me. When you go visit Japan, you should go see Enma and the Simon Famiglia. And Kyoya - san too. Plus you've done a lot for Carcassa. You have much more influence than you think.”

Skull smirked. “You're really taking this friendship of ours a lot more seriously than I thought, Vongola.”

“Of course,” Tsunayoshi replied slyly, “a friend of Reborn and Lambo is a friend of mine, and I haven't forgotten about your self-sacrifice to protect Simon from the Vindice, even if everyone has. Have more confidence in yourself, Skull. You're loved. You shouldn't hide yourself from those who want to show you affection.”

“I'm not hiding!” Skull wanted to shout but managed to keep his volume low. He took a deep breath, looking away as he slowly admitted, “I've never been in a relationship before.”

Tsunayoshi's silence spoke his surprise, but the young man didn't mock Skull for it. “You weren't even twenty when you were cursed with the others,” he said, reminding himself of that fact, ”and as a baby, no one took you seriously. You spent fifty years forced to be grown up in a child’s body. It's okay, Skull, you have your life back again. Take your time all you want.”

Skull nodded, thanking Tsunayoshi for his kind words, and they continued to walk the garden a bit longer until the Carcassa don and his wives finally arrived back into the open, Prospero still wearing his white suit but Katsuki and Hinata in matching gowns in light blue and yellow respectively. Guests started to walk up to them to give their congratulations and formally meet the newest Carcassas.

Skull’s pulse jumped, anticipating the look on their faces as he led Tsunayoshi towards his boss and his new sisters, waiting for the right moment to jump in. They both left their glasses behind as Skull called the trio, ‹Don Prospero, Donna Katsuki, Donna Hinata, I have a very important guest who have come all this way to see you on this beautiful night.›

Prospero gasped when he recognized Tsunayoshi who was smiling gently, Katsuki and Hinata bowing their head respectful. ‹Don Vongola!› the don accidently greeted, looking anxious and flattered at the same time. He reached out a hand to shake. ‹This is a surprise!› Skull snickered behind his hand at the reaction.

‹All a part of Skull’s gift to you, Don Carcassa,› Tsunayoshi replied smoothly, accepting the gesture. ‹Congratulations on your marriage. May God bless you and your wives with many children and endless fortune.›

‹Thank you. I'm very grateful, Don Vongola.›

‹I look forward to meeting you again in the future. I've brought gifts for your wives. Skull?›

Skull smiled as he handed one of the boxes to Tsunayoshi, one with a sun symbol engraved on the top. “Hinata - san,” the young Japanese man said to the elder twin dressed in yellow first, handing his gift to her with both hands, “this is for you.”

“I thank you, Vongola - sama,” Hinata said, taking the box.

Skull handed the second box, with a moon on it, to Tsunayoshi who turned to the younger sister dressed in blue and handed his gift to her with both hands. “Katsuki - san,” he addressed, “this is for you.”

“Thank you so much, Vongola - sama,” Katsuki said, accepting the box.

“I hope you like it,” Tsunayoshi said, clasping his hands in front of him, and he gave them a nod to answer their inquiring eyes.

The twins opened their boxes carefully, gasping quietly at the content within. Don Prospero wasn't exactly sure what was said between the three Japanese natives, but when he saw the awe in his wives’ expression, he knew was thankful for the other don.

Inside the boxes were half-moon _tsuge gushi_ comb that had a sheen like pearls, both accompanied with a matching ornament _kanzashi_ piece. For Katsuki, cherry blossoms bursting like stars were carved into the black wood of her comb, the tree branch arching from one end to another like a crown, its accompanying _kanzashi_ a stream of crystal blossoms with chips of blue. For Hinata, her comb ended at the teeth in a point, a centerpiece of plump peonies centered on a golden backdrop, its accompanying _kanzashi_ a great bundle made of silk fabric.

They were very beautiful and a show of great craftsmanship, picked carefully to delight the women who were born and raised in a distinguished bloodline from Japan.

Katsuki and Hinata thanked Tsunayoshi profoundly for these gifts, to which the Vongola don gave a kind smile. Prospero thanked the other don again, knowing that his wives were very happy, and Skull asked Missus Teresa to take the boxes to the master bedroom for safekeeping before he thanked Tsunayoshi himself and led his don and his sisters to see the rest of his surprise, greeting more of their guests along the way. Tsunayoshi went to mingle, making himself a part of the guests list.

The first of his fellow ex-Arcobalenos he spotted first were Colonello and Lal Mirch, who gave the happy trio a happy, casual greeting and well wishes. The military couple shared a drink with them, Colonello unexpectedly thanking Don Prospero for taking care of Skull.

‹I know how I can easily find my lackey,› the soldier explained with a laugh.

‹Hey!› Skull protested. ‹I'm _not_ your lackey!›

Lal Mirch patted the younger one’s head almost roughly, huffing in amusement. ‹You're still the kid here,› she told him, ‹and kids need adult supervision.›

Skull was about to argue that he wasn't a kid, but Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head as she tried to hide her laughter. “Pick your battles, Skull - kun,” she said.

They found Mammon sitting with a small group of information brokers, bankers and mafioso accountants who had worked with Carcassa a few times, and they all greeted the married trio in good cheer, the illusionist quiet and waiting for their chance to speak without interruption.

‹Congratulations,› Mammon said tonelessly, holding a fist to their hidden face. ‹A little show for the happy party.›

Like magic, the illusionist exhaled, releasing their fist, and white light in form of doves sprouted from their palm, the flap of their wings like drums, and flew upwards into the sky, sparkling light falling into the garden like stardust. The other guests awed and clapped at the beautiful, bright display of love and peace. Skilled loved the look on his bosses’ faces, almost throwing himself at Mammon in gratitude. Almost.

When they found Verde and Fon, Skull was surprised and curious to see them sitting on one of the benches beside the rose bushes, the taller man laying his head on the other’s shoulder with his eyes closed for a moment. Fon had the hand of that arm placed over Verde’s ear as if to press the other man closer. They were a lot closer than the youngest one thought, and he felt confused as to why he felt envious of them.

«Verde,» Fon said softly, brushing his fingers through green hair, «open your eyes.»

Verde lifted his head, yawning again, as he placed an arm behind Fon. ‹Don Carcassa,› the scientist greeted not as boredly as Skull expected, ‹congratulations.›

‹Yes, congratulations,› Fon added with a polite smile.

As they spoke with the Carcassas, Skull found himself quickly tuning them out.

When did the two have time to meet up and become lovers? Why would they be with each other? Verde never wanted to leave his lab if possible, and Fon loved China with all its history and people. Skull felt bitter too about this development because out of all the former Arcobaleno, he was now the only left who didn't have anyone to call their own.

Colonello and Lal Mirch obviously had each other, marrying immediately after the curse was broken despite the former being forced to grow up again from the age of two. They were a thing even before the curse, Colonello sacrificing himself to unburden her and Lal Mirch in _that_ timeline fighting on in memory of the man she loved.

Reborn had Lambo, even if the teenager wasn't fully aware of the hitman’s attraction and affection towards him. All those times Skull visited Vongola Manor to see Lambo, Reborn was always there to check in on the cow, even if it was just to mock. The former Sun Arcobaleno had always been horrible to Skull, which was why Skull knew that Reborn was oddly kinder to Lambo, giving the younger boy attention when in demand. Yes, Lambo had done the impossible and captured the rest of Reborn’s affection that he had not given yet.

Yuni had Gamma, who was extremely loyal and loved her so much that he chose to die with her, even though he didn't have to. The revival of the Arcobaleno only required her sacrifice, but Gamma couldn't bear to let Yuni be alone, even in death. So he died with her, and in the future that never happened, he remained at her side, caring for her and nurturing her into a woman and a mafioso boss that her mother Aria would be proud of.

Even weird, mysterious, indifferent Vi— Mammon had that crazy killing prince to have a close relationship with. From Skull knew, seven year old Belphagor was the first one other treat the cursed baby like a baby, and _somehow_ , the illusionist became attached because the prince did first, always calling Mammon by his name and touching the Varia Mist Guardian in one way or another, whether it be being hugged like doll or being used as a lap pillow.

And now Verde and Fon had each other, the two former Arcobaleno that don't make sense together, but now that Skull thought about it, they do. Even if Verde seemed uncaring of what the world thought and Fon disregard people for the natural world, the two went well together, like thunderstorms. They could tolerate each other’s quiet, mildly indifferent personalities because both of them were like that. They didn't clash, they complimented.

Skull felt even more envious and suddenly, very alone.

‹—bi? Bambi, are you alright?› Don Prospero asked, snapping a finger in front of Skull’s nose.

‹Oh, yes,› the Cloud user said, pulling himself together. He gave the couple on the bench a forced smile. ‹Thank you for showing up, you two. I'll see you in class Monday, Verde, and have a nice trip back to China, Fon.›

Quickly, Skull ushered his bosses away, ignoring Katsuki’s worried looks, and he thanked God that they encountered Reborn and Yuni right after, Tsunayoshi back with them.

The former Sun and Sky Arcobalenos were able to congratulate the Carcassas when finally a familiar song began to play, and couples began to pair off and go to the middle of the garden where the stone flooring was made smooth to dance on. Reborn and Yuni went to joined the crowd, leaving the married trio, Tsunayoshi and Skull behind.

‹Bambi, thank you so much,› Don Prospero said, placing a hand on Skull’s cheek, pressing a kiss on the teenager’s forehead. ‹Now go and relax. You've done too much tonight and deserve to enjoy yourself.›

‹But I'm one of your hosts, Prospero,› Skull replied. ‹It's my duty to make you happy.›

‹Yes, but you'll tired yourself out,› Hinata noted. ‹I've noticed your eyes wondering.›

‹That's a good idea,› Tsunayoshi agreed, looking to the other don. ‹I'll keep your wives company while you take turn dancing the first dance together, then Donna Hinata, Donna Katsuki, please give me the honor to dance with you.›

‹Of course, Don Vongola,› Katsuki said, smiling. ‹It'll be an honor.›

‹That's settled,› Prospero said, giving Skull another kiss. ‹Go enjoy yourself a little, Bambi. Find someone to dance with, and we'll see you happy.›

Skull refrained from frowning, nodding his compliance. He was not at all tired from hosting, but perhaps his bosses wanted some time alone again. He wouldn't deny them that. ‹Well, alright,› he said, ‹if that's what you wish.›

The former Cloud Arcobaleno smiled at them, walking towards one of the table with the glasses of champagne among other things. He picked one up and took a moment to look around.

In the crowd of dancers, Colonello and Lal Mirch had join, looking every part like the rest for the guests despite Colonello’s lack of proper attire. He spotted Mammon still talking and completely disinterested in the growing crowd. Verde and Fon were not to be seen; perhaps they had already left. Missus Teresa and Lucas were in each other’s arms, looking lovingly as they moved with the music.

Skull felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around.

‹Would you dance with me, Bambi?› Raul asked, looking charming as he held a hand out for Skull.

Skull hesitated, not sure if he wanted to continue entertaining the young man’s interest in him, but then he recalled Tsunayoshi's words: _You shouldn't hide yourself from those who want to show you affection_.

‹Okay,› the teenager said, taking the mafioso son’s hand, and he was swept away by the dancing and movement of his feet.

It was a wonderful night for a wedding.

.

.

.

Two weeks before his seventeenth birthday (again), Skull bet his life against Death for the first time in years, and he drove the bike he had been building for the past six months off a hundred foot waterfall, plummeting all the way down several yards away from the target landing space he was supposed have reached.

That Monday, he went to his classes with three broken ribs, forty-seven stitches, various cuts and bruises and one scarring wound that cut across the back left side of his torso.

He was so happy.


	5. Summer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, it's been about two months, I actually forgot about this, lol. Did you guys know that timelines are hard? I'm not that good at math. It's good to see you guys again. ^^

**Skull was more than happy** when the school year finally ended. He couldn't stand to look at Verde anymore during classes, much less talk to the professor about the lower-division classes he had been (assistant) teaching this entire semester. He was thankful that Fon had went back to China, though he tried to ignore any instances in which Verde picked up the phone to answer Fon’s calls. _They must really like each other,_ Skull thought as he ignored yet another one of these calls a few feet away.

The calls never really last long, but they occurred every other day. That was a lot of dedication for a man who didn't care for anything but science and his experiments. Skull also ignored the gentler tone Verde had been speaking to him with, thinking he was imagining things.

So when summer courses began, Skull jumped at the chance to go around Europe to absorbed all that he could, telling Prospero he'd be out of the country for a few months but to call if he was needed. He told Raul that too, knowing he'd miss the closest friend he'd made recently. He promised he'd be back for the next semester though.

Ever since he got back on his bike again and faced the impending chance of dying, he came out of it alive, better than ever. God, he missed the feeling of meeting Death and slipping away so much, jumping over deep chasms and driving up steep mountains. Euphoric in the return of his skills hounded as the best of his generation, Skull took short trips up to France to learn the newest technique for parkour and was jumping across buildings twenty-eight floors high over heavy traffic. Then he took on skating of all kinds and every performative sport he could get access to, and those he could not, he taught himself by watching live performances and studying videos. He got it almost immediately and perfectly, and that vastly improved his fighting skills when he practiced sparring with his new sisters.

The last place he went was Japan, aftering calling Tsunayoshi of his plans of course, and for the first time in two years, he finally saw his friend Lambo who left him a permanent mark in his left shoulder.

“Skull!” the raven shouted with a scared look on his face when he opened the door and saw Skull. He dropped his bag and threw himself at the older teen, sobbing, “I’m so sorry for what I did to you that day! I didn't mean it! I was so angry and wanted to stay so much! I didn't mean to hurt you! I would never do it to you again, so please _forgive me_.”

Skull let out a relieved sigh, wrapping his arms around the younger boy in comfort. “You're forgiven, Lambo,” he promised, not moving from his fallen position on the floor. He couldn't help but smile, having missed the Thunder Guardian for the better part of two years.  

“Really?” Lambo asked, peering his teary emerald eyes up. He had grown up a little bit since the last time he saw him. His hair had grown thick, going down like small waves around his boyish face. He didn't look annoying when he was being a crybaby anymore, though he still sounded like one. “Tsuna told me I left a scar. I'm sorry.”

“I'm a stuntman, and scars are cool. Wanna see the one I got driving my bike off an aircraft?”

Lambo laughed, getting up so Skull could do just that, lifting his right pants leg up to reveal a scar right under his knee. “Fractured the bone and they had to repair everything. It hurt like fuck.”

“You're doing stunts again?” the younger teen asked, looking excitedly at the scar.

“Soon. I have to get back into it, and I'm trying to learn everything else. I'll invite you to my first show. So how how have you been, Lambo? You still want to go back to Italy?”

Lambo went into a long-short telling of what had happened after moving back to Japan. He entered Namimori Middle School just like Tsunayoshi had, Hibari Kyoya now the headmaster of his beloved school and board of director of the entire school district along with maintaining the Foundation. He confessed to Skull that Kyoya had been mentoring without telling Tsunayoshi all the details, like teaching Lambo how to fight and use his abilities. Lambo complained loudly how Kyoya was especially strict on him in academics and that he must maintain a ninety percentile or be ”punished accordingly,” but Skull said at least no one can really call him a “dumb” cow anymore, probably. And in addition to the training and academics, Lambo was forced to become a part-time secretary of the Foundation.

“You've grown up so much!” Skull teased, smiling because his friend seemed happy back in Japan. Perhaps it was a good decision on Tsunayoshi's part. “I'm going to go visit Simon soon. You free to take me around town?”

“Sounds good!”

.

.

.

When they were able to go visit Simon the next town over, it was only two days after Skull arrived back in Japan because it was a Saturday and there was some business to take care of first.

But still, Skull was very much excited to go since Lambo was totally on board on taking his bike, so when school let out half day, the teenage stuntman rode his loud vehicle through the civilian streets of Namimori Middle School, sans his helmet because he just didn't feel like wearing it. It was supposed to be a quiet trip today, nothing extraordinary.

“Hey, Skull!” Lambo shouted, rushing over quickly with a red tint on his face. He jumped on behind his friend immediately, clutching at his shoulder bag and Skull's waist. “Go, go!”

“Hey, what's the hurry?” Skull stupidly asked, not moving. He knew people were looking. They always looked, so what's the problem?

“Kyo - nii banned other people from having motorcycles on the premises, and I'm pretty _sure_ he heard that. I forgot to tell you, I didn't think you'd pick me up.”

Skull rolled his eyes. “Hypocrite!”

“I agree, but we can criticize him from a safe distance I always say. Now go, you idiot!”

The stuntman huffed, letting out a snort, but then he stopped, seeing a familiar figure coming out towards them, the man's tonfas bared open in challenge. “I see,” Skull finally said, revving up his engine to be obnoxious.

“I'll bite you to death, herbivore,” Hibari Kyoya, the Vongola Cloud Guardian and once Skull's own student (no matter how temporary it was, and how much Kyoya never listened to him). There was a smirk on his lips, the crowd parting ways for him, and he hummed in amusement. “Your attire is not up to school regulations. Prepare to have them taken from you.”

“You can try, Hibari,” Skull rebuked, sticking out his tongue and pulling down one of his eyes to make a face. Then swiftly, he turned his bike away, towards the main street, and laughed, suddenly starting with a speed that no normal person would.

And they were off, shooting off like a rocket. Skull cackled more as he listened to Lambo begin to shout behind him. That's right, this was the first time Skull had ever given Lambo a ride before. Yeah, Skull was going to make this something to remember.

Back with Hibari, he hummed once more, lifting up a hand to snap his fingers, and a committee of student guards appeared like loyal ninjas, having no fear on their faces as they formed a wall before the motorbike threatening to demolish them.

“We're going to die!” Lambo shouted.

That only made Skull cackle louder as suddenly, with a kick to the ground, they were flying, the bike roaring lively over the wall of committee members who watched in awe. It was a moment that felt like forever.

When they landed, Lambo was trembling, arms tight and rigid around Skull's waist like a lifeline, and they didn't look back, Skull laughing joyously. That was so much fun, he felt all the eyes on him. Truely, he had missed performing.

The Simon family was welcoming when they arrived less than an hour later. Rauji was the most affectionate, lifting Lambo up like he was still a baby and throwing the teenager up in the air.

“Rau - san!” Lambo shouted, embarrassed but happy. “I'm not a kid anymore!”

“You can be one a little longer, Lambo - chan,” Rauji replied, but he stopped, patting the teenager on the head.

Skull laughed, turning over to the head of the Simon Famiglia, who had changed slightly over the years. Enma still wore a hoodie, but he put a suit over it, looking more business casual than an actual mafia boss. And the man still wore his bandages, probably to make himself look weak though he had certainly grow, taller than he was almost ten years ago and holding an air for attention.

“It's been a while, Enma,” the teenage stuntman said, holding out a hand. “It's good to see you again.”

The young man smiled, his tired expression much more relaxed now, and he accepted Skull's gesture, their handshake firm and friendly. “It's good to see you too, Skull,” Enma said. “Thank you for coming to see us.”

“We did agree to fight for him at one point,” Julie said jokingly. “It's the least he could do.”

“That's rude,” Adelheid said, disapproving and frowning. “Skull is an ally of Simon.”

Koyo huffed, crossing his arms. “He still looks like a brat,” he commented.

“Hey!” Skull shouted. He wasn't at Koyo's height, but it didn't mean that Skull was short either.

“But he certainly has grown,” Kaoru said with a soft smile, like he was a proud father. “He's going to do amazing things and we all know it.”

Then P. Shitt jumped in out of nowhere, and like a machine, she said, “01001100 01100101 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110110 01100101 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110000 01100001 01110010 01110100 01111001 00100001 00100000.”

 _Let's have a party!_ Skull quickly translated, and Enma clapped his hands together, understanding too.

“That's a good idea, Shitopi - chan,” the Simon head said. “Julie, bring out the wine, and the rest of us will set up the table and invite the rest of the family. Come, Skull, Lambo, it's a beautiful night to have dinner together.”

Skull learned later that night that Adelheid and Julie were finally engaged, the former taking very good care of Simon as its second-in-command and the latter the main head of the underlings.

Kaoru was coaching a youth baseball team for an after school program for elementary kids, right next to Kaoru's daycare center ran for free using extra funding from Simon. The two were working on establishing a better presence in the neighborhood, a good one.

P. Shitt was a now a well known researcher in the field of technology and chemistry, though a very weird but great addition to the modern field.

Koyo was the one who made most of the trips in and out of Japan along with Adelheid, but when he was home, he learning how to use his hands to make food, now tending to cook most of the main Simon's dinners. 

.

.

.

The rest of the time he had left, Skull stayed in Japan in the Sawada residence, though he went over to the next town regularly. There were too many times when he and Lambo were almost caught by Kyoya on school premise, but it seemed that the Cloud Guardian had soften up over the years, being a bit lax when it came to punishment.

Skull believed it was because Lambo was involved, the boy very close to the Foundation head, not that many people knew. Kyoya would let them go lightly with an amused smirk, though sometimes with considerable amount of damage, but that only made it more fun.

Lambo, excited and happy that his closest friend back from Italy being with him, was on most of the adventures Skull got himself into, whether it was worth people on the streets or the “business meetings.” ( _Don't_ tell Tsunayoshi! Or Kyoya!) They'd always be back for dinner, of course.

I-pin, Lambo's sister and best friend, would always tell them she didn't approve, but more than one did, she did show up to help out. They made a pact to never tell Mama - san.

But time urns out fast when you're having fun. Skull's summer vacation from classes was coming to an end, and that meant it was almost time for him to head back to Italy, which meant departing from Lambo.

The younger teen deflated at the mention of returning home, but he was accepting, saying, “Yare, yare, you do what you have to do, just come back, okay?” He had grown so mature in the last few years, Skull wondered why the boy still wanted to go back to Italy. It was obvious Japan was so much better for Lambo. 

Well, Skull's first classes started next week, so the two of them were taking their last of their days together slow and quiet. The teenage stuntman met some of Lambo's friends, who were all so interested in Skull because of his piercings and his bike and everything that didn't make him a typical Japanese. He was just interesting to them, and the entire time, Lambo would laugh, knowing better. 

It was nice, peaceful. Skull thought he finally understood why Tsunayoshi wanted Lambo here. There didn't seem like there was anything that could go wrong, and nothing could touch them. It felt like a home that a tired heart would yearn, one for raising children and growing old. Skull shook his head with a laugh, feeling like he was growing to attach and it'd only been a month. 

And suddenly, it was Skull's last night in Japan. That day, he went to see Simon one more time, having breakfast with them before he left, promising he'll be back soon. Then he picked Lambo up from school again, and this time, he waved goodbye on his bike to Kyoya who simply huffed, turning away without another look back. 

The two teens decided to go to the outskirts of town this time, to the forest where there was a small stream big enough to have fish come by. It was a game to see who could catch the most, but that afternoon, they just sat on the ground nearby the waters and talked. 

"Hey, Skull," Lambo said, pulling his knees to his chest. "You've been around for several decades, have you ever been in love?" 

Skull raised his eyebrows, a bit shocked because he'd never been asked this kind of question before. He flushed a bit in embarrassment, an former Arcobaleno like him should have easily answered that. But Skull wasn't like the others, he was too young, too immature, too childish to focus on something like love. 

He could love, yes. He loved riding, daring Death to take him. He loved moving, dancing on the side of the cliff. He loved the cheer of the crowd and the praise of his patrons. But no, he had never loved that way, the kind of way that someone else returned.

Skull was barely an adult when he was cursed, caught by the shine of a good part too often to look at girls or boys, his peers. No, he had never been in love, and he knew very little about it in detail, much less in experience. 

"No," the teenage stuntman replied, feeling a bit silly for willingly admitting that. He was supposed to be cool in front of his younger friend, but then again, they both knew they were crybabies. There was no leverage over the other here. "I didn't really have the time, or cared enough . . ."

Lambo bit his lips nervously. "Well, I think I'm in love with someone," the teen said quietly, getting shy like a girl. 

Skull laughed. "Aw, Lambo - chan! You're in love!" 

"Shut up, asshole!" Lambo smacked him on the shoulder. Then he pulled his legs closer. "I think I'm in love, and I don't know what to do, okay? He's an amazing person, and strong. And he's been with a lot of people. I think if I told him how I feel, he'd laugh and walk away because he's a bastard."

"Oh, so we're talking about Reborn, huh?" Skull teased, smiling knowingly. 

Lambo did not know how wrong he was. Reborn, for the longest time, always had his eyes on Lambo, but the hitman would never admit it because it would become his weakness. Lambo was far too young to keep himself safe, it was the duties of the adults around him. He was still growing, he simply needed more time, and Reborn was wise enough to know that. 

Skull figured it would be funnier to let the two sort themselves out instead of him telling Lambo the truth immediately. Lambo being a bit oblivious and Reborn being immensely stubborn. Besides, Reborn deserved a little frustration for everything he'd done to Skull. 

"I didn't say that," Lambo replied, though his face said otherwise. He was pouting now as of his surprise had been spoiled. "It  _could_ be him, but it's not. But that's not the point! Either way, I'm sorta behind. I haven't even kissed yet." By this point, Lambo's face was red like a tomato, looking he wanted to bury himself into the ground. 

At this, Skull, being a former Arcobaleno, should've laughed, or had something to say in comfort as an adult, but he was coming up with nothing because that was his situation. He was coming to realize just how bad it was to be the youngest in a group. 

"You shouldn't be asking me," Skull replied, covering his face with his hands. "I can't help you with . . ."

Lambo jumped and grabbed Skull by the shoulder, his left eye wide with hope. "You've been kissed before too?" he asked without shame. 

"Wow, you just said that."

"Oh, you know I don't mean it like that. Skull, would you be my first kiss?" 

Skull blinked for a moment, putting all those words together in a way that didn't sound absurd, but he failed, shouting, "What! That's— That's ridiculous! Wha— Why would ask _that_?" 

"Because I trust you!" Lambo shouted back, looking quite serious. "I don't know why, but I don't like anyone but  _him_. I can't just get a boyfriend or girlfriend, it wouldn't be right. I don't want to date them, or hug them, or kiss them. I just want him, and it's ruining me. I'm the only one next to that weird occultist who'd never kissed before, you have to help me out! It's only fair to trade firsts."

Skull was speechless for a moment, thinking of some way he could say no, but Lambo could give the most convincing look, looking up from under his long lashes in a silent plea. 

They hadn't been this close together in three years, but without good reason, Skull relented, feeling like he'd been taken advantage of. Honestly, it was about time he experienced a first too, and it might as well be Lambo. At least he could say he'd kissed a gorgeous person once in his life. 

"Fine," Skull said. 

Lambo lit up, smiling happily, but then he bit his bottom lip. "Okay, so how do we do this?" he asked, sounding unsure now. "Do we close our eyes first, or touch lips first? How do we know which direction to go if our eyes are closed? But wouldn't it be weird to kiss with our eyes open?"

Skull rolled his eyes because those were stupid questions but valid. The only answer he had was from something he saw on the television once, a woman holding a man by his cheeks and pulling him in, and the teenage stuntman did just that, grabbing Lambo's face and smashing their lips together. 

It hurt a bit, when their teeth clashed together, but it wasn't like they were in a rush or anything so they didn't feel the need to pull away or go any further. They just stayed still, lips pressed against each other's for a wordless moment. It was nice, nicer when Skull closed his eyes, lulling himself into the stillness. 

Skull didn't know who did it first, but they slowly parted, pulling away from each other a little wiser. For a moment, they just smiled, happy that they finally had their first, and they stayed by the stream a little longer, enjoying Skull's last day in Japan together. 

The next morning Skull was on his plane back to Italy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is relatively short, I think, but I think that's what summer is like on between the school year. Writing that last scene really made me realize how awkward teenagers can be, but it felt real. Thanks for reading! ^^


	6. Drinking and Driving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, don't know when I'll be back with an update, but stay good, guys.

The first college party he went to was by Raul's invitation, something before the school year started again. It was actually on the night before the first day of classes, but that only added to the fun, Skull guessed.

The teen didn't have much of a social life on campus as he was already connected with many facet of the more adult world and was financially secure for the next two lifetimes. He didn't have any reason to make friends with his classmates, especially since he also had the special status of being the teaching substitute for the university's most demonic instructor. People suspected rightfully that he had a closer relationship to the man, but Skull learned to ignore it.

He didn't care, he had other things to worry about.

‹I'll introduce you to my friends,› Raul promised. ‹They don't know anything about the mafia, but they're not complete idiots.›

‹If they're in any of Verde's class, I would hope so,› Skull replied as they stepped into the large abandoned warehouse filled with young people drinking and loud music pumping into the air.

Raul pulled Skull towards one of the open makeshift bars, ordering two shots and passing one. The young stuntman hesitated for a second; as much the underworld lived this kind of culture, Skull resisted in taking recreational substances that might induce a loose of control of his body. A consequence of his Cloud ability was that he actually absorbed and metabolized quicker than the average person, so he had to be careful with how much he took in.

‹What? You can't hold your liquor?› Raul teased, holding his shot daringly.

‹Shut up,› Skull said with a grin, and he downed his first drink of the night. He grimaced, not having gotten used to much besides wines yet because it was the safe drink during formal settings. ‹This tastes so bad.›

‹You'll get used to it. Now hold onto this and let's finish it before we leave.›

Raul handed him a newly opened bottle of some dark spirit. Again, Skull hesitated, but he supposed it would be okay to actually party since tomorrow was only going to be introduction classes and he'd recovered long before noon. Besides, Katsuki did remind him to have fun, trusting that he'd be able to take care of himself. 

So the earlier part of the night, the part that Skull could remember the best, the four of them went around talking to other people, to each other. Skull stayed away from the junkies and the couples obviously on E, but he didn't say no to whenever Raul or Samuel passing him yet another drink. It was okay, though, since Skull carefully watched every time someone went to go grab another drink. 

Skull really couldn't remember the last time he went to party with drunks and alcohol, not since his first sixteen birthday. His friends from back then threw a party for him, knowing that he was going to make it big for all of them one day. They were right, and now he was, seventeen again and his oldest friends were dead or dying now, the poverty of their youth catching up to them so soon. 

The teen drown his fourth—or was it his fifth—bottle of beer. Along with those, he had four shots of vodka with Thomas and two shots of tequila. He was feeling great, actually, thanks for asking. 

‹This band sucks,› Samuel complained at one point, when yet another song ended. ‹Thank God they're done.›

‹What did you expect?› Thomas asked, laughing into his cup. ‹The line-up is a bunch of college bands. Some will be okay, but most will be shit. If you have it so much, why don't you get up and sing for us?›

Skulled snorted.

‹What about you, Bambi?› Raul asked, raising an eyebrow. ‹I know you perform.›

‹Oh, really?› Thomas said, hitting Skull's shoulder. ‹Fuck, do it. Put Samuel in his place.›

‹I haven't perform in _years_ ,› Skull replied because he meant it. ‹There's not a lot a prep time.›

‹Hey, if you think you can do it,› Samuel said, ‹I'll find someone to accompany you. I'm pretty sure someone would want some extra stage time.›

‹Yeah, come on,› Raul added. ‹Do it for my birthday.›

‹Your birthday already passed,› Skull said, empty bottle in his hand.

‹Consider it a late present then.›

Skull thought about it for a moment, blinking at how fuzzy his vision was getting, but there was a heat coursing through his veins. He really missed being on stage, even if it wasn't on his bike. He wanted to amaze people, make them excited and scared simultaneously. He loved the feeling of being _seen_ , raising the suspense and breaking their anticipation.

‹Find me a band and give me fifteen minutes to get ready,› he said, weak to his most inner desire.

‹Yes!› Thomas shouted, pushing Samuel to get to it and following after. Raul stayed behind to keep Skull from running off apparently, not that he was.

In no time really, the pair came back with good news, and soon, the stuntman was on stage, the novice band Dei Ruggenti set behind him, a microphone stand in front of him. Skull can't say he was completely in control of himself, but he was feeling good, his heart beating into the speaker. No introduction, just another song playing after the last, he sang:

[ Coming out of my cage ]  
And I've been doing just fine  
Gotta gotta be down  
Because I want it all  
It started out with a kiss  
How did it end up like this  
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss  
Now I'm falling asleep  
And she's calling a cab  
While he's having a smoke  
And she's taking a drag  
Now they're going to bed  
And my stomach is sick  
And it's all in my head  
But she's touching his chest  
Now, he takes off her dress  
Now, letting me go  
  
I just can't look its killing me  
And taking control  
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea  
Swimming through sick lullabies  
Choking on your alibis  
But it's just the price I pay  
Destiny is calling me  
Open up my eager eyes  
Cause I'm Mr Brightside  
  
I'm coming out of my cage  
And I've been doing just fine  
Gotta gotta be down  
Because I want it all  
It started out with a kiss  
How did it end up like this  
It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss  
Now I'm falling asleep  
And she's calling a cab  
While he's having a smoke  
And she's taking a drag  
Now they're going to bed  
And my stomach is sick  
And it's all in my head  
But she's touching his chest  
Now, he takes off her dress  
Now, letting me go  
  
'Cause I just can't look its killing me  
And taking control  
Jealousy, turning saints into the sea  
Swimming through sick lullabies  
Choking on your alibi  
But it's just the price I pay  
Destiny is calling me  
Open up my eager eyes  
'Cause I'm Mr Brightside  
I never  
I never  
I never  
[ I never]

Skull opened his eyes, taking in the feel of everything that the night had become, a thousand sparks running throughout his body like firecrackers, the comforting warmth of the alcohol turning the air cold, the deafening screams of the crowd as the the last note ended. He was pulled off the stage by a familiar hand, but he quickly drew the faces of strangers, phone cameras pointing at him to catch his every word.

‹Bambi!› Raul shouted excitedly. ‹I can't fucking believe how _awesome_ that was! You were killing it!›

‹Do another song!› someone shouted. ‹Who is this anyway?›

‹It's Professor Verde's teaching assistant,› another answered loudly. ‹Fuck, I didn't know you could sing like that. You got a page?›

‹What's his name again?› said yet another.

‹I think that guy just called him Bambi!› was the reply.

Then they all started shouting, ‹Bambi! Bambi! Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!›

Skull had an inkling of a feeling that he was going to regret this in the morning, but right now, he was soaking in all the attention, leaning almost completely on Raul's and Samuel's support. However, he was coherent enough to say, ‹I think I fucking hate you now.›

Raul laughed despite it, and the rest of the night becomes a blur because exhaustions started to sink in unknowingly, taking Skull into the motion and atmosphere for the crowd, alive with the sound of their blood rushing in their ears as another song began to play while the vibe was still in its high and out of their minds, intoxicated and filled with the newest fads of drugs to hit the streets.

Skull had not felt this light in a long time, finding himself dancing and singing along with his friends and people he didn't even know. He could barely feel the touches and the pressure of another body on his, laughing and cheering. He had enough to satisfy him for now, melting back into the crowd, and time spin out of tune and everything felt like it could last forever.

He could only remember it ending when the music faded away into the background and the open air assaulted him, shivers running up his spine. He was keeping Samuel up as much as Samuel was keeping him up, Thomas laughing at them. Raul was the most sober out of them, stumbling only a little as they walked out, pulling out his phone to call for a pick up because there was no way Thomas could drive, not when Skull could do it better.

‹What a night to have so much fun,› a bored, toneless voice interrupted their very last moments.

They had only reached a third of the parking lot in front of the abandoned warehouse, and there was a gray metallic Ferrari parked without no thought to others, one tall man with spiky green hair and round spectacle glasses leaning against the side with a cigarette mostly done between his fingers. The man was not wearing his usual coat, replacing his shirt with a green turtleneck, and he didn't look a bit amused.

‹Professor Verde?› Raul said, surprised to see the man out this late at night where tons students were drinking and partying excessively. Thomas and Samuel blinked in surprise too. ‹What are you doing here?›

Verde huffed, taking one last breath of his cigarette before throwing onto the ground and crushing it with his shoe. ‹He shouldn't have been drinking as much as he did,› he said, gesturing towards Skull with his head.

‹Hey, Verde,› Skull slurred, barely making out the situation now. He didn't feel a bit bitter against the scientist at all this very moment, and instead, he pushed himself off Thomas and staggered towards Verde, putting his weight on his side on the car and then rolling halfway onto the man. ‹God, why are you so this much taller than me? You're like Reborn with your face so high up there, and I'm down here, always having to crane my neck up to see you bamboo stalks. I'm _not_ the short one, you're the freakishly tall ones!›

‹Fuck, Skull,› Samuel gasped out in shock. Seeing the university’s most demonic instructor was sobering him, and the other two, rather quickly. ‹Maybe you should stop talking.›

‹And your face is stupid! If it wasn't so far up your ass, I would think you'd be pretty handsome. But then there's your stupid kinks and weird obsessions with cows!›

‹Oh, God, please forgive us,› Samuel muttered under his breath, face paling.

‹And what does Fon have that I don't have? What do _you_ have that I don't have? Why do you all get somebody but _I_ don't? Even fucking _Mammon_ has that crazy son of a bitch princeling who could really benefit from less bangs. You said you'd help me with catching up, but it's been _eight fucking years_ , you shitty scientist! You think it's funny, don't you? None of you ever takes me seriously because I'm the damn kid! Well, you know what, asshole? _Fuck you_.›

Skull took a deep breath when he momentarily ran out of steam, not hearing the warnings cries of his friends, and tears started to prickle at the corners of his eyes, his hands holding him steady on Verde's shoulders. He yelped when the man grabbed him harshly by the hair with one hand, green eyes significantly narrowed as he forced Skull to tippy-toe.

‹Professor, he doesn't know what he's saying!› Raul defended, but had not made a step to intercept.

‹Don't tell me how to deal with this _brat_ , Blanco,› Verde bit out with a scoff. ‹Why do I even bother?›

‹You're being mean, Verde,› Skull whined, trying to pull away but couldn't due to his clumsy fingers. He started crying, his inhibitions lowered. ‹You didn't have to be here!›

Verde rolled his eyes. ‹Viral videos spread fast,› he said, not relenting on his hold. ‹Sawada called.›

Skull paused. ‹Lambo called?› he repeated, no longer crying.

‹Yes, and seeing your condition, he called Reborn who called me because that man couldn't be bother to check in on you himself.›

‹So you're here for Lambo?› Skull asked, and then he laughed, his bitter mood forgotten in an instant. ‹Thank you, Verde.›

Verde rolled his eyes, letting go of Skull. ‹Get in the car.›

‹I want to drive!›

‹If you get even a scratch on this car, it's your ass, Skull.›

Skull stuck out a childish tongue, showing that he already got Verde's keys before sliding over the front of the car. Then he points at his friends. ‹We're taking them home.›

‹Holy shit,› Samuel said, eyes wide. ‹He's crazy.›

‹Don't question it,› Verde said, waiting for them with the passenger seat already pulled forward. ‹Hurry up.›

Raul, Thomas, and Samuel quickly piled in, not believing that they just got into a car with a drunk driver. The front seat was pushed back, and Verde got in, closing the door behind him. The car purred to life, lights flashing twice before settling as a soft red against a black backdrop.

‹You ready?› Skull asked, his speech somehow less slurred than before. He was smirking.

‹Professor,› Thomas whispered to the older man while he and his friends were frantically trying to seat belt in, ‹are we going to die?›

Verde let out a snort, leaning back for the ride back. ‹No, but if you throw up back there, then yes,› he vaguely warned.

‹Is it too late to—›

_SCREECH!!_

.

.

.

They made to Samuel's apartment with all their body parts and blood, taking a whole fifteen minutes less than it should've been, and Skull was still laughing, getting out so that his friends could do the same. The three men stepped out with shaky legs, leaning on each other for support.

‹You will never drive me anywhere again,› Raul said, gasping for air. ‹No wonder Papa like you, Bambi. God.›

‹I need to call my Nonna and tell her I love her,› Samuel said, trying to blink away tears. ‹I need to go back to Mass.› Thomas was silent, patting his friend in sympathy.

‹We should do this again!› Skull said, sticking his arms out to twirl around like a child. ‹Didn't you love the rush? I can't get enough of it!›

But he stumbled, his center of gravity a little off, and the teen was falling, Raul reaching out.

‹That's enough for the night, Skull,› Verde said, the one to catch the teen and holding Skull up against his side with a hand to the younger's lower back. ‹I'm driving us back.›

‹That's not fair.› Skull didn't protest anymore, finding a comfortable position against the older man's body.

‹I don't mind Skull staying at my place, Professor,› Samuel interjected, still a little pale. He still liked the teen, despite how terrifying his driving was.

‹We'll get him to class in time tomorrow,› Thomas added.

‹I showed up to pick up what’s mine, Mister Tallota,› Verde said, picking Skull up on a bridal hold and taking the teen to the passenger side of the car. ‹I'm not very happy that he'd gone to make a show of himself. There will be consequences.›

Raul stepped forward. ‹But Professor, you can't just _take_ Bam—›

‹His name is _Skull_ , Mister Blanco. Only his family has the right to call him that, not you,› the scientist interrupted with an indifferent look. Then he smirked. ‹Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at him, so let me tell you now that it will be your loss. Now goodnight.›

Verde drove away without another word. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is jokingly titled "When You Get Drunk At a Party (and Give a Concert)." xD
> 
> *Lyric credit to The Killers, none of it belongs to me.


	7. Homecoming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys, long time no see, lol. I forgot about this for a while, but I'm trying to update my WIPs as much as possible right now, hopefully getting down to finishing one or two once and for all. We can only pray. :P Sorry for the wait and the lack of communication on my part, I'm still very interested in this fic and intend to finish it. At this point, this work is ending in a few more chapters so stay tuned!

**Skull woke up** to his alarm, feeling a little nauseated but able to open his eyes enough to quickly get used to the morning light coming through the bedroom window. He was dressed down to a simple pair of underwear and a shirt two sizes too big for him, and this bed was a lot bigger than what he had back at the Carcassa estate, a larger, solid mass warming him up. He was pretty sure that it had an arm wrapped around his waist. He carefully sat up.

‹Verde!› Skull shouted in surprise because he couldn't remember much of last night past the song . . . _oh no_. ‹What happened last night!›

The older man grumbled, irritated to be awaken like this. He shuffled a little, pushing Skull off the last few inches of the bed he had left.

‹Asshole!›

‹You're so damn annoying,› Verde said, sitting up to glare at his guest before getting up.

‹What happened last night?› Skull asked again, looking away because the other man was apparently wearing nothing under the blanket. ‹I remember really loud music and I was singing it.›

‹Ask your friends when you see them. Hurry up, you're driving me to campus.›

‹Huh?› Oh yeah, classes started today. He looked at the clock. _8:03_. Damn, he better get going, but he needed a change of clothes. He looked around but couldn't find what he was wearing yesterday. It wasn't enough time to go back to the estate and change. Maybe he'll keep what he had on now and steal a pair of pants. But Verde was tall, and bigger than him.

Skull let out a sigh of defeat, getting up to walk to Verde's walk-in closet. He rarely saw the man outside of campus these days, so it was interesting to see an assortment of different outfits and the rows of shoes, all high quality products but not necessarily brand named. He rolled his eyes when he saw a corner filled with Fon's clothing, but he changed his mind on the pants and took one from the corner instead of Verde's. Fon was shorter and closer to Skull's build.

He didn't really care about how he’d looked, taking one of the tighter looking turtlenecks available too, and he left the closet rather quickly, thinking about what he was going to to do about the materials he didn't have with him. Notes shouldn't be difficult since he retained most of the information he saw and heard, though he'd have to ask Raul for something to write with and something to hold onto all the syllabus in.

The teen went into the bathroom, ignoring Verde as he turned on the shower, and quickly hopped in. He felt a hundred times better now, wondering if he should call back home to check in, but then he decided against it. He'll deal with his family after classes. The shower was a quick wash and soap, trying to get through the day as quickly as possible.

‹I'm done, let's go,› Skull said when he finished dressing. He pocketed his phone which was surprisingly fully charged, keys, and wallet.

Verde was in the kitchen, which was as simplistic as the rest of his apartment, nearly empty and very organized. The scientist returned here only for much needed rest after spending many days in a row stuck in another one of his ideas and theories. He was sipping on a freshly brewed cup of coffee, the machine keeping the rest of the pot warm, and he was wearing his lab coat over a green shirt and dark pants.

‹Funny,› he said, glancing over Skull's outfit, which did its best to conform to his size. Its failing was noticeable, the pants ending just above his ankles and the sleeves of the turtleneck were folded up a few times but just ending below his elbows because otherwise it'd be too thick. Its hem and its neckline dwarfed him, reaching longer than Skull needed them to be.

‹Shut up,› Skull muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. Truth be told, he was really comfortable wearing these, though he hoped no one would be able to tell that he was wearing absolutely nothing underneath. ‹We should go.›

Verde hummed, taking one long sip of his cup, and placed the ceramic in the sink to be washed later. Then he stepped closer to Skull who merely raised an eyebrow.

Skull didn't feel threatened like he would've with Colonello or Reborn, but he was still curious, though he did not understand why the other man was standing so closely, pushing his back against the wall. Verde's eyes were very green from this close, Skull couldn’t help but notice, like two onyx jeweled jades.

‹Compensation needs to be paid for taking you back here,› Verde said, pulling at Skull's shirt to expose some skin at his neck. ‹Any protest?›

‹Are you going to beat me?› Skull asked, mostly curious than concerned. It wasn't difficult for him to recover from physical damage.

Verde huffed, leaning in, and Skull yelped, a biting pain at his neck.

‹That hurts, asshole,› the stuntman whined, clutching at the older man's coat, and he whimpered when he felt Verde sucking at his skin hard. ‹What are you doing? That tickles!›

A hand rose up against his lower back, pushing him forward against Verde, now nipping at Skull's neck, which also tickled and was making him laugh. He shivered when the light biting made its way to his ear, forcing him to exhale. He felt relaxed and tensed at the same time.  

Then it stopped, the biting, the pushing, the pressing, and Skull was left exposed, feeling a bit warmer under the turtleneck now that Verde wasn't pulling on it anymore.

‹Let's go,› the man simply said, not addressing what just happened, and headed out the door with his suitcase in hand.

Skull followed, staying a step or two behind, and they headed down to the private garage that belonged to Verde. ‹This looks like your closet,› the teen commented. He noted one that was dirty and superficially damaged, but nothing that a simple wash and paint job can't do. He could look into it later too.

‹You're paying for that,› Verde said, reading his mind. ‹You drove your friends home.›

‹You let me drive your car _drunk_?› Skull asked in disbelief. He paused for a moment. ‹What's my reaction time?›

‹Two point six seconds slower than your peak time.›

Skull paused. ‹I can do better.›

Verde hummed to pretend he was listening, and he walked them to a red Lamborghini with not a speck of dust on it. It looked new, driven only at most a few times and hopefully had a good engine. He caught the keys Verde threw at him, and he quickly hopped in because he was always excited to be the one in control in a world that was uncontrollable. It boosted his ego, Death only capable of watching him go further and further away.

They got to the university quickly, slowing down only because parking should be done carefully, and Skull pretty much jumped out of the car, pocketing the keys out of habit.

‹Twenty minutes to spare,› the teen said, taking out his phone. There was about ten missed called, mostly from Lambo with three from his bosses, and a few concerned text messages. Oh, he had a lot to answer for. ‹I'll see you in class later,› he added as he walked off to find a secluded place, noticing the odd stares.

Going to the back of one of the older buildings, Skull called Lambo back first via video chat. It took two beats before the other end picked up, a flustered middle schooler looking ready to cry.

 _“Skull! How much did you drink?”_ Lambo shouted, upset. _“I was so worried!”_

“Hey, I'm okay,” Skull replied. “I was with Raul and two new guys I made friends with. I don't remember doing anything . . . I got up and performed, didn't I?”

_“Yes, and it's all over the internet by now. You shouldn't have done that. Did Reborn get you home like I asked him too?”_

Skull shrugged. “I don't think so, I woke up at Verde's place this morning.”

Lambo clicked his tongue in disappointment. _“Lazy bastard,”_ he cursed. _“So_ **_Verde_ ** _took you home?”_

“Sort of? He let me drive.”

Lambo's eyes widened. _“You could've died!”_

“But I didn't,” Skull replied with a smile. “Death is eating my dust, Lambo, and I'm only going to get bigger.”

The younger teen sighed, slumping over the desk he was sitting at, probably finishing up homework or some Foundation assignment. _“Just don't that again,”_ he said, _“drink when you're at home with the family, or me, but not in public again. You're going to get in a lot of trouble for getting your face plastered all over the internet. People will recognize you.”_

“It's fine. It's the internet, it'll die down quick. What's the worse that can happen? God, Reborn was right about you. You're sounding more like a nagging woman.”

Lambo flipped him off, taking offense to that. _“Oh, does he say things about me back home? Well, then you should know he's an asshole who doesn't finish his radishes and leaves his cappuccino cups on the table like a lazy bastard!”_

Skull snickered. “No, he's wrong, more like nagging wife.”

_“Fuck you, Skull!”_

“Maybe later, but I need to hang up. My first class is about to start, so we'll talk later.”

_“Yeah, okay. Can I call you when it's evening there?”_

“Sure.”

_“That's great! Some of my classmates didn't believe when I told them that ‘Bambi’ is my friend who visited last summer. Talk to you later!”_

“Wait, Ba—”

The video chat ended, and Skull recalled the feeling of regret drunk him even knew about.

Skull hung his head in defeat, suspecting that he now knew why people were staring at him. Deep inside him, he knew it was all Raul's fault.

With only ten minutes left, Skull send his family a quick text, apologizing for being non-responsive last night and that he'd be home later to explain himself. He ignored the messages because he was currently being mad at his friend, and because they'd see each other later anyway. Begrudgingly, he walked to his first class of the school year, now so much aware of the stares and looks his way.

.

.

.

The aftermath of the drunken concern resulted into two consequences:

First, Skull got grounded. Like a child. For a month. By the entire family.

They, uhh, didn't like that the public knew him as Bambi, and everyone, from Don Prospero to the low ranking members, started to only call him that in private. He was their pride, Katsuki told him, an Arcobaleno they all raised. Skull blushed bashfully, apologizing for his behavior and the worry he'd caused everyone.

Second, Skull instantly gained hundreds of new friends on campus. Well, no, he wasn't hanging out with them or knew more than a few people's names, but they all knew him, unfortunately by the name Bambi. He really wished they didn't refer him like that, but it couldn't be helped.

Raul apologized profoundly for that, feeling really guilty about the nickname becoming commonplace, but Skull couldn't find himself to be angry with his friend. It was this young man who treated him like his fellow peer, and that was hard to come by when he was certainly a lot older than he looked and already had a reputation.

So Skull learned to ignore it, never paying anyone any attention when they called him Bambi, which included Raul (which Skull thought was an appropriate punishment, and Raul as well). Now, the teen stuntman only answered to that name if only muttered by a Carcassa.

And, slowly but surely, things went back to normal again. People kinda just started to forget about that night. For that, Skull was glad.

.

.

.

‹Skull, where is that pet of yours?› Verde asked one day during their meetups in his lab. ‹I’m getting around to implementing real animals in the box weapons.›

‹Huh?› Skull asked. ‹Does that mean Oodako would be the first? No way! What if you mess up and hurt him!›

Verde clicked his tongue in annoyance. ‹Stop being paranoid. I'm working on all the Arcobalenos’. And how dare you think I'll 'mess up.’ Are you trying to piss me off?›

‹No! Just give me a few days then. I don't know how long it'll take to contact Colonello, wherever he is.›

‹And why would you need to do that?›

‹Because Oodako left for the ocean around the time we broke the curse. He hasn't come back in a while so I need Flaco to go find him. He disappears for a long period of time sometimes, mating and hibernating in the waters. I wonder how big he's gotten. I've been so busy these days to think about him much. I miss him.›

‹What an odd creature.›

Skull huffed. ‹What’s Keiman doing these days?›

‹Fon’s been taking care of him in China with Lichi. There's more space there to be with him than there is here.›

Skull thought about that for a while, and he packed what little he had. ‹I’ll go contact Colonello now, I'll see you later.›

Two days later, he was forced to barter with Colonello's eagle, promising the creature seven pounds of fish and berries before and after finding his pet octopus, and in another five days, Flaco returned with a seashell in his beak, squawking for his reward the morning before classes Friday.

Skull, being super excited, jumped on his bike and got to campus, and he barged into Verde's first class. ‹Verde, Oodako is back!› he shouted, forget about the falcon settled patiently on his arm. The entire class looked with wide eyes, mouth agaped. ‹Let’s go!›

The instructor huffed, pulling out a purple box from underneath the desk. ‹Class dismissed,› the university's best professor said. ‹Tell everyone else for me, yes?›

Skull laughed, reaching out to pull Verde to _walk faster_ all the way back to his bike. ‹Lead the way,› he told Flaco as he and the older man settled in, lifting his arm up to give the eagle some lift. He waited until Verde's arms wrapped around his waist, the larger size of the man enveloping him.

Neither of them spoke on the half hour ride towards a large lake that emptied out into the ocean located far enough from the city to be discrete. Skull was proud of his pet who was a lot smarter than he looked, parking his bike carefully before running towards the water. Falco circled the sky above them, the eagle making its way back to his master without as much of a goodbye.

‹Oodako!› Skull shouted, coming closer to the bank of the lake with open arms. ‹Welcome back! I missed you so much!›

And the surface began to move, bending from underneath as eight long tentacles reached out of the water, a large orange head rising up until it stood tall in the air almost twice as large since the last time it had seen its master. The large creature cooed, leaning his head forward so that Skull could crash into it, inciting a joyous laugh on impact.

‹Hey,› the teen greeted one more time, pressing himself closely to his pet. All eight of Oodako's limbs wrapped around him loosely but most definitely protectively. The octopus lifted Skull up a bit so that he could cradle his master in his grip, gurgling affection. Skull easily accepted the change in the position, sighing in both relief and contentment.

Oodako cooed even more, still gentle despite how large he'd gotten as he lifted a limb to wipe the tears of Skull's face. The teen wasn't even aware that he was crying.

‹Thanks,› Skull said, nuzzling even closer. ‹How have you been?›

The giant octopus began gurgling estatically in response, and Skull listened with rapt attention. ‹You've done so much!› the teen commented, letting himself be handle by the waist. ‹I really wish I was there with you, you got to introduce me to a few of your kids one day.›

Oodako lifted his master to sit on top of his head, petting Skull affectionately. The creature finally spotted Verde, who was standing by the lake a few yards away, and bouncing happily, Oodako came out of the waters and towards the scientist, one tentacle to wave in a friendly manner. 

‹It's been a long time,› Verde greeted with a nod, placing the box at his feet. ‹You understand why I asked for you? Falco must have told you.›

Oodako nodded, one tentacle holding onto Skull who leaned down a bit to look at his beloved friend. 

‹Are you sure, my friend?› the teen asked. ‹I mean you don't have to. You're going to be put in a box and I get to decide when you come and go, do you want to give that freedom up? I won't forbid you from doing anything you want, of course, but I just want to make sure you're okay with this. I don't anything that'd make you unhappy.›

Oodako cooed, eyes closed in a happy expression as a tentacle came up to his master to grab him by the hand. He swung it lightly, bringing Skull's only hand to place it over his heart, and Skull was nearly in tears. 

‹I love you too, Oodako,› he replied. He looked over to Verde. ‹He's ready.›

‹Good,› the bespectacled man said, nudging the box with his shoe. ‹You should get out of the way.›

The box opened automatically, and a tripod rose up, a matte purple ring box settled on it like a trophy. Skull quickly gave Oodako another opened arm embrace before sliding off, standing at the other side with Verde. 

‹Project Rainbow, Cloud 07, activate,› Verde commanded, and the face of the box facing Oodako flipped open, a white light enveloping the creature as if taking a picture. But instead of a picture, it took Oodako in an impossible feat, the light minimizing his large figure into a single point as big as a raindrop. Levitating, the drop shot into the box, and its opened face closed, its matte texture now glowing with life. 

‹Project Rainbow, Cloud 07, success,› the container box announced.

Verde hummed, picking up the ring box. ‹Do you still have your pacifier?› he asked Skull. The teen stuntman nodded, pulling the special object from the secret pocket in his pants which he wore for this occasion.

Since the curse broke, all the pacifiers lose their powers and their colors, becoming empty vessels that everyone kept because it had become a part of their lives and their identities. They all kept it in one way or another, and Skull had long placed it in the care of Don Propsero who returned it at his request. 

‹Try it,› Verde said, tossing the ring box to him. ‹It's useless without your flames.›

Skull caught it easily, both excited and anxious about the technology, but easily, the dead pacifier flared up with a purple glow at the call of a single thought. He carefully inserted the head of the pacifier into the box's opening, and in a flash, Oodako was as large and happy as he was before, cooing in achievement. 

There wasn't even a moment to pass before Skull's body kicked into full excitement, jumping onto Verde to embrace the scientist with the widest smile in the world. 

‹Thank you, Verde!› the younger man shouted, arms around Verde's middle. ‹You're amazing!›

Verde just looked down at him, but it didn't deter Skull, or Oodako who wrapped his tentacles around the both of them, joining in. 

.

.

.

When Skull brought Oodako home to the Carcassa estate for the first time, everyone was shocked to see the giant octopus before their very eyes. Many of them had only heard of their Bambi's pet, but very few ever thought he was actually real. Even Katsuki and Hinata were speechless. 

It was Don Prospero who broke the silence, saying with a kind smile, ‹Welcome home, Oodako.›

To that, the octopus gurgled with a melody, picking up the man, which scared many of the witnesses, but Skull promised their don was more than safe. Oodako then extended his tentacles, shaking hands with everyone there as he held Don Prospero on the air. That greatly confused most, but seeing Skull watching with hesitation, the Carcassa family returned the gesture, introducing themselves to Oodako. 

"Welcome home, Oodako - san," Katsuki and Hinata said, following their husband's example. 

"Shall we make plans for a lake on the property, Skull - kun?” Hinata asked when Katsuki was whisked away by the octopus to be carried too. "Oodako will be living here from now on, correct?"

"Would that be okay?" Skull said, hopefully. He didn't want Oodako cooped up in the ring box all the time, so having a private lake would be a great idea. It'd provide a lot of space in his pet's natural habitat and everyone would have the chance to see him.

"Of course, he is the symbol of our family. Oodako - san will be taken cared of, and we will love him too."

Hearing that, Skull could only smile. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love you, Oodako!

**Author's Note:**

> If you like my work(s), please check out my Twitter and consider supporting me: [@kappachyun](https://twitter.com/kappachyun?s=09).


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